Living in the Shadows of the Messes that you Made
by kissMe imDying
Summary: What comes after? after the last battle is fought and won? Things are not perfect, and they never will be, but we learn who we are and we deal with this. Bonds of the soul are closer than friendship can describe. post anime  rating upped to M for content
1. I'm You

Author Pre-notes: (Skip to the line break if you don't care about any of this)

Hi folks. Its me Kmid :) I am finally back on ! I recently finished the Soul Eater Anime, and it's my latest obsession! ^_^

WARNINGS: This fic could take a lot of different directions so for now I will just say pairings are not decided (and my never be) I tend to focus on a-typical friendships and interpersonal intimacy rather then OTP or just shipping up my "faves" to have juicy sexy time while the plot falls apart. That is not to say that it wont have anything juicy, just not in the typical "meet-cute sexy-up happily-after" way. IF YOU CANT HANDLE THE FOLLOWING DON'T READ: Gender blurring, potential inter-sexuality suggestions, a-typical friendships, homosexual suggestions (of ANY gender.) violence, heartbreak, possible Croma moments, Real emotion, anime-verse, english-ization of character's language and POST final episode story. Spoiler warning if you haven't finished it. This story may or may not contain all of the above. :D just the way I like it.

Feel free to skip to the page divide now if you haven't read or don't care about Hollywood Died

HOLLYWOOD DIED FANS: For anyone who has kept up with me you will know that I have not written on my Hollywood Died FMA fic in a long time. The reason for that is because I lost my files. I had about ten more chapters on my computer that an ex destroyed while claiming to be "fixing" it. (one of the many reasons this person is an ex. But enough of that.) The good news is is I still have that computer, and once I can save up 100$ to have the geek squad extract my old files that story WILL be continued. I would just re-write more new chapters but I don't want to start if there is a chance to pick up where I left off ;.; I do plan on this story having the same level of detail and intricacy as that one did, I am ready to get back into the swing of things.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or settings retained by their creators. Those rights and privileges are exclusive property held by those that own the Soul Eater story.

For a little extra fun, as with Hollywood died, all the chapter titles are drawn from song titles that reflect the chapter or attributes of the characters, so if you know the songs enjoy, and if you don't look them up on youtube...its worth it.

WITH NO FURTHER ADUE!

-line break -

**Aftermath-Remix**

**I'm You**

_'what will we do if he says I can't come back after everything that's happened? Where will we go? We will be all alone again. Me and the other me...and the one who lives inside. Ragnarok...So much has happened...Lady- I mean...medusa. Just medusa. I have to remember that, Maka told me so. Medusa...she's finally dead. I am not happy that she is dead. Anyone being killed never brought me much joy. I feel...how do I feel...relieved a little. Still not sure what to do with myself though. Looking at my feet I remember when I got these boots. They are all beat up now, but they were new once. My old ones impeded my ability to fight so she brought me these. I know now that she only did that for her own profit. We were always just for her profit. My stomach is queasy...I think I might go throw up to settle it down. Ragnarok's overeating is giving me stomach aches. I never noticed this archway is a bunch of those things they use to chop off people's heads. Oh I am definitely going to be sick...where will we go if he says we have to go away? Will we still be allowed to stay in death city? I definitely won't be able to handle things if we have to go away...oh no, my legs stopped moving...what do I do now...Maka...she is looking at me with those eyes of hers...she has really shiny eyes._

"Crona?" Maka asked when the other meister had suddenly stopped walking next to her. She had only gotten a few feet ahead when she realized he had stopped. She turned her head to peer over her shoulder at his frail form. Certainly, he had gained some ground from the day she had broken his spirit open for the first time. He was now strong enough to stand on his own two feet when times got tough, but when it came to change he still didn't adjust well. She knew that as his friend she was only beginning to scratch the surface of what he had been through. It was at times like this that she was faced with it the hardest. When he stood there, mouthing words into the air and staring at something no-one else could see in order to avoid looking at the real world. He stood, knees together, thin frame ever bent at an awkward angle, dress robe clinging to his bony shoulders, hands clenched tightly over forearms and crossed over his chest. He looked so unstable when he acted that way.

"Crona..." She said again, turning towards him this time. He jumped a little and met her gaze with his own worried eyes. "I know what it is already...you don't have to tell me. You were never actually given much most of your life...and anything you were was taken away pretty soon afterward huh?" The pale teen could only nod slowly in reply. "So you are really afraid that is going to happen again, aren't you." _'he was so calm the other day...I can't believe it was just the other day...when the kishin was finally killed. He was so much more collected. Now he seems frightened and unstable again...'_

"M..maka I don't want to have to leave...But Lord d-death didn't say I could stay yet...he didn't tell me that I could stay after I was exiled and went after...m..ma..ma-du..ma..." He took in a deep breath. "Her."

"That's why you wanted to speak to Lord Death though right? To make sure you were going to be allowed to stay?" Maka replied, choosing her words carefully. "You won't ever find out...if you just keep waiting here forever..." She pointed out. He looked at her, shaking slightly. His eyes told her exactly what it was he was pleading for internally. Comfort, a sign that this was the real reality. She stepped closer and pulled off her gloves, shoving them in her coat pocket. She placed her small hand over one of his clenched hands, signaling without words that he should take it. He did so with only a hint of hesitation. He needed the touch too bad right now to over-think it. Hand in hand now they began walking again. When they reached the end of the hall there was Death, the grim reaper himself, sitting at a low coffee table drinking tea with Deathscythe.

"Meister Maka and Demon-swordsman Crona, What brings you to my coffee table? Come, sit. I would stand for you but I am afraid I am still recovering." Crona winced when Death uttered his name. Sometimes it pained him to always be the 'demon' swordsman. But how else could someone describe the creature that lived in his veins, the very spirit of the sword who's liquid form made up his own life blood, Ragnarok.

Maka made her way across the room, Crona in tow and they both sat traditionally at Death's table. Deathscythe waved lightly at Maka from the other side of the table. She nodded. So far since the battle over the world she had actually giving a distant respect to Death-Scythe Spirit, her father. The red headed man beamed and straightened his tie. Maka turned her attention back to the Reaper that sat directly across from her. She could feel Crona as if he were trying to fold into himself and become even tinier than he already was. She squeezed his hand enough to distract him from his nerves.

"So..." Death began in his friendliest tone. Maka knew this game all too well. Death would beat around the bush until somebody else finally spoke up. He would do this by saying phrases like "so" and "well" and "is that so?" and "hmm" each with long pauses punctuating them to leave blanks for students (and sometimes teachers) to fill in. She waited as patiently as she could for Crona to speak up. This wasn't her battle. Yet.

It was a long silence made more obvious by Death's occasional slurping noises and Spirit thrumming his fingers as if to pretend the awkwardness wasn't hanging in the air like heavy fog. Finally Crona twitched slightly, then relaxed and opened his small, pale mouth to speak.

"Well..." Death uttered with a long pause, oblivious to the fact that he had just interrupted the young swordsman as he was almost able to finally speak.

"Lord Death, Crona wanted to talk to you about something." Maka interjected at last, deciding that twenty minutes of silent tea-slurping with the Grim Reaper, her Father and her painfully introverted friend was quite long enough. You could almost hear the Reaper smile.

"Is that so?" He asked.

"Eep." was all that came from Crona's mouth.

"eep?" Repeated death. He turned his head to one side as if studying the word. "eep." he said again, this time he seemed to be trying to make it sound philosophical in some way.

_'this is getting me nowhere...I need to just do it...ready...deep breath...and...go'_ Crona steeled himself in his mind.

"L-l-lord Dd.?" He sputtered. The words tasted a little funny after such a long silence, but he found his tongue again quickly.

"Hmm?" The Reaper replied expectantly. Maka got the disconcerting feeling that Lord Death knew exactly what was going to be said, but instead he was going to force Crona to say it himself. Still, that might be a good sign.

"Well I uh...I..." Another deep breath. "I w..wanted to know if I was going to be allowed to stay...here...now."

"No." Death replied almost instantly, shocking all three that sat at the table. The Reaper was not flustered by all their gasping though and simply took another sip of tea before pausing for a refill.

"But Lord Death, respectfully, I know some things got really messed up but Crona almost died fixing them. He would have given his life to make things right here with you and everyone that was involved...I really want you to reconsider! No...I demand that you reconsider...if you don't let Crona come back to school I swear I will walk out! I will quit!" Maka blurted, her rage speaking faster than her mind could think. This scenario had crossed her mind but she didn't actually expect the caring Death-god to say no.

"m..maka no! It's okay...We still have to do what he say-" Crona tried to justify, but he was interrupted by laughter. Two laughing voices...one was Death's...and the other Spirit's.

"Papa..." Maka warned.

"Calm down Maka..." Spirit bantered playfully.

"Then don't laugh at Crona!" She snapped, getting to her feet.

"Simmer down or reaper-chops for all!" Death said over the noise of the quickly escalating argument. Everyone was silent, even Maka though she still shook quietly. "Now. Crona didn't ask me if he could continue attending school here. He asked if he could stay. And he can't. A prison cell is no place to call home. He will have to move out as soon as he is able and into a more stable, comfortable place. It is healthier. Now, my Demon-sword Meister, you are more than welcome to continue attending classes, and you are more than welcome to live in Death City. Your past crimes are grievous, and people will most definitely going to have a problem with my letting you continue your education here..."

"And abilities like yours need to be trained and honed so that you won't accidentally or on purpose hurt people one day." Spirit added, his face finally serious again. Maka looked as though she might faint. They had...tricked her. Her head spun. That play on words was meaner than even she could come up with.

"Not only that, Crona, but I think you need to continue to work on your confidence and your mental health. Do you remember those sessions you had with the counselor?" Death said. Crona nodded through the cold sweat he was going into. He too, was having a hard time recovering from being tricked. He had thought his life was over only a few moments before only to find out it had only just begun.

"Those sessions turned up some interesting results about you that I will go over with you at a later time. But I am serious, staying in that dungeon any longer, I have been told, will just add to the damage of your mental state. Please find a warm, suitable home asap!" Death said, sounding as if he had a smile on his face.

"Thank you...?" Crona whimpered, still looking a little lost.

"Think about it like this, you too Maka. Rather than punishing Crona, we need to give him the things he needs to do better. Things that will make him strong enough that what happened to miss Marie will never happen again. That is a better solution than any punishment." Spirit said with a smirk. Maka took a deep breath and nodded.

'_what did I expect...Death and my Dad to take life seriously? Pshyeah...I should have known much better. They have a point in there somewhere, but it's buried in jokes. Still...'_ She glanced and Crona through her thoughts. He looked like he was trying to laugh, cry, be perfectly still, dance and die all at the same time. _'as long as he is going to be okay, it's worth dealing with these two.'_

"With that said, Crona, you are free to move about as you please. Let me know when you have found a place to live or someone to stay with so I may have your things sent. If you aren't able to find a place, let me know and I will help." The Reaper re-assured him. Crona gave an awkward nod and tottered to his feet, almost too dizzy to walk. He began stumbling towards the entryway, waves of relief washing over him with each step. Maka stood to follow quickly after, but found herself gently pushed back down by Death's large white hand.

"No, Maka I need to speak with you just a moment longer." Death said. As if taking a cue, Spirit stood to leave.

"Later Maka...Papa loves you." He said with a small wave and a smile. She waved back but quickly turned her attention back to the Reaper who was now sitting much closer to her, within whispering distance.

"I really do not want you to take offense to what I am about to tell you, but you need to listen either way, Meister Maka. I am very well aware of how deeply you care about Crona, perhaps now more than ever. You are so completely willing to lay it all on the line for any small amount of hope he has. The results from his psychological evaluation were not great. Crona is very emotionally disturbed. Even more so than most of our Meisters here, who in the human world would probably be certifiable, my own son included. Meisters are made from tougher stuff than normal humans, thankfully." Death said to her, quiet but serious as could be.

"What...did his evaluation say?" Maka ventured, extremely curious.

"As the exact results are confidential between patient and counselor, I can only give you an outline. In addition to the inner turmoil of sharing a body with Ragnarok, the weapon-partner, Crona shows a strong lack of understanding of almost all standard human concepts. Almost everything about Crona's life now is completely foreign to his mind. From touch to light to warmth, food, care, bonds...Foreign and new concepts. He will either ease into them on instinct or eventually reject them all and fall back into his old self." Maka's face fell. "It's not all bad! He is adjusting better than expected and I believe he is just a bit stronger than everyone gives him credit for. He was severely abused beyond what anyone I have ever known can understand. A truly deprived childhood and teenage years including neglect, torture, denial of basic needs and betrayal of all forms of physical privacy and by that I mean his blood replacement by Medusa at an early age. It's amazing there was anything left of the person that is Crona. Still, it's undeniable that its there. I will let him tell you more about himself in his own time. What I really meant to tell you was this. Asura was a very, very dear friend to me. He too, was frightened and nervous and very, very powerful." Death's voice lost its squeaking tone, replaced by a much older, serious one. "He was dear to me, a companion and sibling. Watching the madness fear placed on him was the most terrible thing I have ever seen. I watched him go downhill and didn't try to stop it. I didn't want to hurt one of my very own closest friends. But in the end, he only suffered worse because I wouldn't keep him at bay. The day I ordered you Meisters to kill him at all costs broke my heart and I think you know why."

Maka thought for a long moment. Tears welled up in her eyes as she imagined having to do that herself. To order the death of someone she once was so close to? What if soul went mad and started killing...and she had to order those around her to end his life...or worse yet...

"Crona..." she muttered softly.

"I am by no means saying that Crona is going down that same road, but should he ever stray and you are unable to bring him back...be aware that you would then be the only one capable of stopping him. The way I had to stop Asura." Death said finally.

"I..." Maka couldn't help the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I understand...Lord Death." Unable to contain herself any longer, she began to bawl into the table openly. She was suddenly glad her father was no longer in the room.

"There there Maka, I didn't mean to scare you. I honestly in my very soul believe that between you and the others, Crona will be just fine. You must always remember that your friends are your strength. Crona said that himself, when you were in the orb up against Kishin Asura." The Reaper patted her gently on the back as she slowly stopped sobbing. That was the first time she had cried since two days ago when the battle was over. All her emotions and those swirling around Death had overwhelmed her for a moment. She wiped her tears and looked up, smiling at last.

"Thank you." She said as she stood to leave. Death responded with a peace-sign.

"Always good ta see ya Maka." He said loudly as she stepped towards the entryway. She paused though and looked back over her shoulder.

"Hey Lord Death...Why did you decide to go ahead and let him stay enrolled? Just..curious." She asked.

"Two reasons. One, we seem to be needing to do a lot of updating to our justice system. There is new rumor that if I hire the most qualified candidate for a teaching position he is requiring me to allow permissions for a particularly young witch to be allowed in the city and on the school premise. Rules need adjusting to keep up with changing times. And number two...I see something in you Maka, that I did not see in myself back before Asura became a Kishin. The very same thing you used to beat him in the end. I wonder sometimes, if I had had that back then...would he ever have done what he did. If I was that brave, as brave as you are now...could I have had the same chance of helping him...that you have to help Crona?" He seemed to ask himself the last question. Maka paused for a moment, reflecting on what Death had said. He looked up at her and offered a small wave. She nodded and waved back, then walked out without a word. She understood, and she knew there was nothing that could change Death's past. He wanted her to change her own and Crona's future before they repeated his past.

"So we have to move...but we can keep going to classes. What do you think Ragnarok?" Crona said aloud to his own reflection in his small gothic-style mirror. It was one of the four things in his room, the same room that had once been his cell. A dresser, a mirror, a bed and a trash can. Those things had been added after the cell was to be a room. The thin boy placed one spindly hand against the icy stone wall behind the mirror. There was a familiar feeling right between his shoulder blades, like the prickling of rough wool. It was followed by a feeling of warm dampness against his skin. He winced, but he had long ago gotten used to Ragnarok bleeding himself out of the skin on his back. It never did damage since the weapon had complete control of Crona's blood vessels. It was one of the stranger things about him he didn't care to explain thoroughly to anyone. Ragnarok was the one who lived inside of him. Every black little blood cell belonged to the demon-sword. These days, as small as Ragnarok became after the madness was partially drawn out of them, the weapon didn't cause nearly as much pain upon arrival. He was literally the meister's constant companion.

"People don't understand us here, Ragnarok. They think we are strange...but our friends really like us. I think that's why I wanted us to stay so badly. Living in the city is scary...I don't know how we are going to deal with it but I guess we will manage." Crona spoke in a low, calm tone he couldn't muster well around others. Only when he was alone with Ragnarok was his voice so even, speaking in full, unstuttering sentences. He knew others didn't understand he and Ragnarok's relationship. How he could tolerate the insensitive weapon, how Ragnarok knew everything that Crona knew, He knew Crona's body, mind and soul every moment of the day unless he was asleep inside. Ragnarok needed sleep too, and often did it when Crona was awake and moving. It was one of the many ways they co-existed. These days it was better. Without the heavy madness they had both been prone to accept, Ragnarok was now how he used to be, the way Crona remembered him as a child. Funny, sarcastic, mean...but not evil.

"You expect these idiots around here to understand? HA! It's laughable. Look at us Crona...we were made for evil things...Lets go kill them." Ragnarok laughed, turning his attention to their reflections.

"Stupid." Crona gave a half hearted upward swing to the side of his companion's face. "We aren't going to be like that anymore...You can eat kishin souls when we go on missions, their all yours. But we don't eat human souls anymore. No more killing innocent people. I like you better without all those souls inside of you. You are more calm."

"Hey don't hit me! I'll hit you back!" The demon landed a small punch to the side of Crona's pink head, which the meister ignored. "Anyway you changed a lot too. Aw fine it was getting boring anyway, having to take the lead all the time when you were being all psycho back then. I got tired of fighting all your battles because you were too nuts to have any fucking clue was was going on. At least now I get what I want all the time."

"If you don't stop eating so much I am going to start throwing up all the time. I can't stand throwing up..." Crona said offhandedly. They lapsed into silence, staring at the mirror. Finally Ragnarok broke the silence again.

"I've been meaning to tell you something Crona."

"Wha?" Crona responded, pulled from his thoughts.

"Your haircut is stupid looking."

"It's not my fault I had to cut it myself last time it got too long! Next time you cut it!"

"Fine I will, I'll cut it all off. You let everyone call you a boy, I'll cut it all off really short so you look like one!" Ragnarok laughed loudly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You still don't get the idea of sex after all these years."

Crona blushed, looking back down at the dresser, eyes fixed on the empty wooden surface. "I am just me..." He muttered. "But...but I still don't want all my hair gone. It feels safer when it falls over my eyes." He took a long, slow, shuttering breath that fogged the glass slightly and turned his eyes back to the mirror. He just noticed that his companion was striking poses at his own reflection. Ragnarok had no attention span.

Haziness and reality came and went for Crona. This was one of those sobering moments where reality was very clear. He wasn't all that afraid right now so things were very easy to see. He let his thoughts wander as he stared into his own sad eyes.

_'I still don't really understand who I am. I don't really understand what we are. What I am, what the other me is, or what Ragnarok is. We just can't remember. My eyes, my hair, our body, our blood. It's so hard to categorize things when there isn't anyone like us to compare. The counselor had that in his notes. It wasn't my fault that Ragnarok grabbed the extra copy from the top of the file Cabinet when we were left alone in the room for a while. I read them but I didn't understand them...I look at it now where I stuck it to the mirror. it says "check all that patient shows more than three symptoms of"... __Dissociative identity disorder__, gender-disphoria, agoraphobia, ,anti-social personality disorder anxiety, anorexia, depression, mania, bi-polarity, Autism, __Avoidant personality disorder, Borderline personality disorder, Posttraumatic stress disorder...__ the list is really long and I don't understand most of it. I don't get how I can be all those things at once. What are we? Are we all those things?'_

"What are we, Ragnarok?" He spoke his mind finally.

"You answered that already dumb ass. We are just us. You are just 'stupid Crona' and I am just 'awesome Ragnarok the demon sword!' Hahaha."

Crona smiled a tiny little smile. "Lets start putting our stuff in a suitcase so when we find another place to live we will be ready."

"You can do that all by yourself, Crona. You're a big boy now." Ragnarok responded in a mocking down, then disappeared immediately into Crona's back. He usually did that whenever some form of work was mentioned. Crona sighed.

'_me, the other me, and Ragnarok...all inside. I am him, he is me, and so is she. We are just us...'_


	2. They wont go when I go

Pre-notes: Changed the title...there were more than one other fic with the same title. For anyone wondering I was calling it "aftermath remix" Instead I substituted lyrics from the song I was talk about

I dont own Soul Eater or the titles. They are actually song titles and the credit goes as follows, (Living in the shadows of the messes that you made - Aftermath Adam Lambert. Chapter one, I'm You Leona lewis. Chapter two They won't go when I go George Micheal.

Chapter 2

They Won't go when I go

"Damn it." Punctuated the sound of a fist hitting the wall, hard enough to make a satisfying sound without actually doing any damage. Doing damage to only one side of the wall would just make today much worse. The son of the Grim Reaper glared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, a brush in the hand that wasn't still fisted against the wall. He gritted his teeth slightly at himself. His hair stuck out at an odd angle on one side. It was quite bad enough, in his mind, that he had un-dyable white markings on one side of his head and not the other, now he had to deal with not being able to part it and have it lay down right.

"Kid?" a tentative voice called from the other side of the ornate bathroom door. It was Liz, one of his two weapon partners, the older sister with nerves of jello, a heart of gold and a mind full of high standards. Kid sighed. He removed his fist from the wall, giving it a once over with his eyes just to make sure he hadn't actually left a mark.

"Come in. I am mostly dressed." He responded, trying to keep his tone as even as possible. He knew that he couldn't hide his mood from Liz. She could be very perceptive when she wanted to be. The handle clicked and the door slowly opened. A woman in jeans, boots, a half shirt sweater and a tie stepped in slowly, keeping a cautious eye on Kid. There was her Meister, a short, thin boy with very golden eyes. He stood in his pants and belt, shirt still folded crisply on the counter, a sock laid on each side of it and his skull-shaped tie placed in the very center. Her suspicions were confirmed. Kid was having a bad day. His obsessive need to organize and balance got worse when he was under strain and judging by the clothes, the counter, the arrangement of the items on the two small shelves on either side of the counter and the pile of mis-folded toilet paper in the wastebaskets, it was not a good day. However, you would never know it to look at Kid, not unless you really know him well. The picture of calm under pressure, the precise and even way he spoke...he seemed to have everything under control even when he didn't.

"What's up?" She asked knowingly. She took her seat at the edge of the tub, right in the center so as not to set the young frustrated meister off. Kid let out another light sigh as he attempted once again to get his hair to even out.

"My hair...I was sweating last night and now it just wants to stick up on the left side..." He responded passively.

"You were sweating, why? It's always freezing in your room." Liz asked, a hint of worry tinging her voice. She knew her friend and partner very well. Nothing was usually out of routine if he could help it.

"It was that dream again. It's coming so much more frequently now." He replied darkly. He finally got his hair to lay down right and now turned towards the woman watching him.

"The one where...Lord Death is eaten by a kishin?"

"Yes...but it goes further each night it seems...last time it went all the way to the point where the whole school mourns." Kid cast his eyes down. He voice deepened a little, getting more breathy. "And before I have time to even get upset or grieve, they force me to take over his position as leader of the school."

Liz nodded patiently, waiting for him to continue.

"And this time...I watched all of my friends become adults, leave the school, have families and eventually...die." He added, eyes closed as if re-living it.

"Isn't that...whats going to happen? If you ever take your father's place...won't you stop aging at that time?" The woman inquired carefully.

"Yes, that's about the truth of it. I wont get too much older looking anyway for most of my life, but for me to be forced to take over things for my Father...an outside force would have to end his existence. I am not ready to face either of those things. Out living my friends, or having to replace my Father." He explained as he pulled his shirt on and buttoned it up slowly. _'and yet, it is a destiny that I will likely have to face...'_ He added in thought. Inside the turmoil of the dream and knowing that he really was not the same as his closest friends...that one day he would have to watch them all leave this world before him. It was the burden he alone bore with his blood. It was the destiny of someone, anyone who was involved in the family business of death.

Liz didn't like seeing him this dark. His moods were usually comically obsessive without being overly serious about it. This time though it was as if every move she watched him make was so carefully and painstakingly per-calculated...he wasn't really living life. Just trying too hard.

So serious was Kid's mood that he didn't even blink when Patti, the younger sister with nerves of steel, the heart of a goldfish and a mind full of fluff, busted into the bathroom.

"PEEEEEE" she screamed, giggling uncontrollably.

"Ew, Patti don't do that while people are in here!" Liz yelled over her sister's laughter. The young Reaper was not phased though, and he buttoned his last button and walked firmly out of the bathroom without a word.

"Whatsa matter with Kid?" Patti asked her sister.

"He's having a bad day Patti...maybe we ought to try and stay out of his way." Liz said, lost in thought.

"Kay!" Patti shouted. When Liz turned to look at the younger girl, Patti's pants were halfway down as she got ready to sit on the toilet.

"YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO PEE WITH ME IN HERE? AAUG" Liz screamed, bolting from the bathroom, the door banging loudly shut behind her. Kid winced, already downstairs. He prayed silently that they hadn't just knocked the door off kilter.

None of the inhabitants of Death the Kid's very large, decorated, ornate home realized just how much worse it could get. Kid's mood would not improve that day. Not with the events in store for him that he knew nothing about. He began to cook breakfast, mind a whirlwind of unspoken emotions...

–

"Lord Death, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean..."

"I am quite sure! It would do both of them some good. There are some very good things the two can learn from each other."

_'if either of them survive...' _Spirit thought to himself

–

"It's hopeless...we are d..d..doomed!" Crona wailed. It had been exactly one week since Lord Death had commanded him to find a new place to live that wasn't in the castle's detainment cells. He and Ragnarok had yet to find a place inside of Death City. They had looked at all the places advertised in the local newspaper, but most wanted a large deposit and still other places that accepted students of the D.W.M.A free of charge either rejected Crona based on his history or on his and Ragnarok's personalities.

Crona sat now, knees coiled against his chest with his arms wrapped tightly over them, on top of a large suitcase Tsubaki lent him. Ragnarok was perched in his usual spot atop Crona's pink head.

"You're gonna blame me for us not finding a place right?" Ragnarok snapped, sounding more than a little hurt. They had, of course, been rejected from a few places because of Ragnarok's wild behavior. From eating all the 'complimentary' cookies off the plate of an apartment office at one place to cursing out the manager of another for asking if they could make a pet deposit for Ragnarok since he seemed like he might destroy the place, it was true the the black demon had caused most of their misfortunes. Still,

"No, of course not...I mean sure we may have gotten a place if you had stayed out of sight, but you are a part of me and I w-would never have been able to deal with all those people without you." Crona said, craning his neck to look up at his weapon companion.

"Aw...I'm touched...not." The demon replied sarcastically. "Hey, it just hit me...why didn't you get your precious itty bitty titty committee girl to help you? She boosts your sorry confidence."

"Don't say mean things about Maka...she has a lot going on already. She offered to take us in to her and Soul's apartment, but it's so little and I think they would get really tired of us after a while."

"Her get tired of us? Try the other way around stupid. I would be so sick of that cow-AUGH!" Ragnarok finished the sentence with a screech. While he had been ranting, the mirror on the other side of the room had begun to flash with increasing speed. Someone was dialing Crona's room, but mirror-communication was still pretty new to the timid meister, and he had only seen people dial out. The resulting panic had sent him scuttling backwards from his perch on the suitcase until his back slammed into the wall, consequently smashing Ragnarok nearly flat.

"What the hell you stupid" smack! "idiot!"

"Ow! Ragnarok! The mirror is glowing! It's freaking me out!" Crona yelled back, cringing away from the brilliant mirror and Ragnarok's punches.

"Just say 'hello' you dumbass..." And as Ragnarok uttered the word, the mirror flashed with a blinding light, then the the image of Lord Death appeared, face pressed against the glass. Crona uttered another scream and buried his face.

"Hi! How ya doin...oh...um...Crona?" Death seemed puzzled by the meister's being all the way on the other side of the room cowering. "Come over here would you? You're so far away I can barely see you." There was a long silence, now and then broken by Crona's whimpering. The mirror had startled him badly. Even with his slowly easing nerves, things that startled him didn't go over well. His frantic heart hammered his chest and his arms felt paralyzed. These feelings came and went these days, but when he did get caught off guard...for just a moment it was like back then.

"Idiot, get up. It's just Lord Death on the mirror. It's not that friggin scary. C'mon, get up walk! I don't wanna get chopped because your dumb ass won't talk to him!" Ragnarok complained. Finally Crona looked up, then stood walking shakily across the room.

"y.y..y..you scared me..." He whimpered into the mirror. The Reaper took several steps back. Behind him Kid could now be seen, sitting backwards in a chair and looking quite miserably bored. On the other side of the mirror, in the death room he sat, thinking to himself about why he could possibly be here today of all days. He rarely got to spend any time around his Father, but when he did it was usually like this, informative to-the-point meetings about some mission or assignment or condition or something to the like. Still, it was unusual his Father would bring him here and have him sit for so long without addressing what was going on yet.

"Crona I would like you to meet me and Kid in the death room so that we can all discuss your housing search! See ya soon!" Death said happily as the mirror blanked. Crona jumped as his own reflection appeared instead of death's face.

"Now ya done it, stupid Crona. You get to face this one I'm outta here!" Ragnarok cackled.

"No! Don't leave me alone p..pl.." But Ragnarok had retracted into his body before he could finish the sentence. "please..." he added pathetically. He took several moments to steal himself up for the long walk to the death room. Luckily it was after hours and there would be no-one except perhaps faculty members in the halls. He clasped his arm and prepared to deal with the worst possible outcome, though the thought made the pit of his stomach feel as if it would fall out. He didn't want to be seen as a failure in anyone's eyes, especially not now after he had tried so hard.

–

"Father you still haven't explained why I am here." Kid finally blurted out. "Or why you called Crona to join us. Are you wanting me to help him find a place to live?"

"Well..." Death took a long pause. "No and yes." He said finally.

"What is that supposed to mean!" Kid replied incredulously.

"Lord Death you have a visitor." Sid spoke as he entered. "I found him outside the door, looking like he was about to faint." The large blue-skinned man stepped aside. Behind him a trembling Crona truly looked as though he was about to simply pass out. No doubt his mind was racing with one hundred ways to tell the story of how between him and Ragnarok they could still not find a place to move to. He was running over all the possible outcomes of this, and completely afraid that this shortcoming might be the end of his schooling at the academy.

"That's wonderful, you are both here!" the Grim Reaper said with what sounded almost like delight. "Well then, Crona how is the house hunting going? Not so well hmm? Well I have finally thought of the perfect solution. Kid, you will let Crona come stay with you for a while wont you?"

"Huh?" Two voices spoke the word simultaneously. Kid and Crona for just one moment had the exact same thought in their heads. Then they both began talking at once.

"But Father you must understand

-I can't do that!-

-Crona's a great friend and all...-

-would cause so much trouble-

-so I can't deal with the lack of symetr-

-can't deal with him hating m-

-and ragnarok makes five, thats a terribl-

-and I have no money to-

-would end up fighting with Liz-

-i can't deal with it becaus-

-and food too-

-cant be-

-and so you see...-

"Simmer down...The way I see it, it will work out just fine! You will have a good influence on one another and Kid you are the only one who is close to Crona that has enough room in their house for an extra guest. It's mostly temporary until Crona gets adjusted enough to the world around him to start living on his own. And living here is not giving him the opportunity to learn about the world around him." Lord Death said, slightly louder then the two meister's fevered protests. Sid on the other hand, looked as if a tornado had just struck him, as he had been standing right in between Kid and Crona when the news was broken on them. Now, though, both were completely silent, mouthing soundless words of protest. Crona had crumbled under the pressure and was curled up once more around his knees, staring at the ground. Kid looked completely exhausted. However he knew that arguing with his father was useless. Finally he took a deep breath, standing up he made his way over to Crona's slouched form. He offered his hand.

"There's no point in arguing with him, Crona. It will be fine...we will work it all out soon. Come on, let's go get your things." He said, no grudge towards Crona held in his steady voice.

When the two left Sid finally recovered from the shock of being fussed towards by two paranoid meisters.

"Lord Death, if I may...why did you pair those two up?" He asked, confused.

"Well, best I can figure, Crona is very unstable, but consistently so. And my boy is very stable, but inconsistently. They may balance each other out...or they may kill each other. I certainly hope it's the former though. We will see." Death replied, not sounding worried at all.

_'a paranoid manic depressive and an obsessive compulsive perfectionist in a house together, not to mention the wild pistol sisters too. Alive or dead this doesn't make much sense to me...'_ Sid thought to himself.

–

"Liz, Patti, please meet me in the living room!" Kid called across the house. He could sense Crona's presence behind him, not to mention the sound of chattering teeth over his shoulder. As tall as he was, Crona did a really good job of hiding behind people shorter than himself. The sisters stepped off the stairwell one after the other without even noticing Crona cowering behind Kid as he stood just in front of the living room's perfectly centered couch. The two girls sat on the couch expectantly. Liz noted to herself that Kid seemed flustered, but not nearly as serious as this morning. Then Patti blurted out in her loudest voice.

"Suitcase!" She squealed. Liz then noticed the eighteenth-century looking worn out trunk propped against the entryway wall.

"Yes, well...that is what I wanted to talk to you two about...er...Crona come out from behind me you really are unnerving me back there!" He said, twisting his head to see that Crona was once again crouched near the floor, shaking harshly. Finally Kid sighed, stepping around the pink-haired teen and and pushing him bodily in front of his weapon-companions. "Per my father's orders, Crona will be staying with us for a while." He sighed again. Liz's face was full of sheer confusion, but Patti as usual had an answer to everything, an answer that usually consisted of yelling singular words or short sentences with a lot of energy.

"Heeey ITS THE GIRL-BOY!" She yelled, bouncing up and down uncontrollably, causing Crona to scream, his pale eyes staring widely at the young blonde. Ragnarok chose that exact moment to appear, bursting from Crona's hunched back right at eye level with Liz.

"YES! Crona we totally SCORED! Hot bitches everywhere!" He yelled, his gravelly high voice nearly matching Patti's squealing pitch. One of Ragnarok's gloved hands reached out and before Liz could realize the danger she was it in wrapped around one of her breasts. Her eyes widened and it was her turn to utter a loud scream. All the while Kid was almost cowering like Crona now, but only for a moment, as the next thing that sounded in the house was gunshot, followed by a muffled yelp from Crona and an then incredibly loud thud. Liz had grabbed Patti, who knew her sister well enough to know it was weapon-form time. She had shot Ragnarok square in the forehead, which sent him (and consequently Crona) flying across the room and whizzing just inches past Kid who dodged sideways and collided with the hardwood floor. Crona and Ragnarok hit with the far living room wall where they both sank to the floor unconscious.

"NO!" Kid yelped as the picture on the wall slid and was now at a very harsh angle from the impact. He looked like he might cry. "Ooh...Father will pay for this!" He wailed as he dashed across the room to the horribly crooked painting. Liz followed suit as well as Patti once she had returned to her human form. The younger sister promptly grabbed the nearest long, stick-like thing and proceeded to poke Crona's limp body with it.

"You killed them both sis..." She said, sounding a little sad. Liz looked at the meister and his weapon laying unconscious on the floor. Luckily, as she and the other two knew from the fist time they had fought Crona before he had switched sides, his black blood protected both him and Ragnarok from most impact-related attacks. Liz twitched.

"He's not dead just...out cold...I forgot they were attached. Kid, sorry I shot your house guest..." Liz said, hardly believing the words coming out of her mouth.

"Its gonna be a crazy house from now on!" Patti stated joyously as Crona finally began to stir.

"Stop it" He grumbled. "I can't deal with that poking feeling when my head hurts like this Ragnarok..." He whined, not opening his eyes and blissfully unaware of what had just happened.

"Can't get painting straight..." Kid joined in on the whining.

"Crazy house, craaazy house..." Patti sang. And, it would turn out, she was very right about that fact.

AUTHORS NOTES: Phew! There we go, chapter two O_o a lot happened, hope I am not barreling into everything too fast. I know I listed this under Maka and Crona as primary characters, sometimes I wish there was a third character slot because I want to keep Kid involved too. Well, fear not because I really do plan on having a lot of Maka/Crona moments too in future chapters. In fact I want this to be a well-rounded story with chances to explore many characters. Thank you so much! I feel so grateful for anyone who is reading this! ^_^ I would also like to thank my first reviewer for commenting. It made me feel so good since your Soul Eater stories are two of my favorites! I admire you so much and was so happy when you commented :D


	3. Rabbit Heart

Pre-Notes! YAY! Thank you for such great reviews! You are driving me to write more and more with your kind words! ^_^ I deleted and re-wrote this chapter after I finally figured out some more direction and I must say I am much happier with the result. Well, that aside, here are my disclaimers: I don't own Soul Eater or any of the characters. I also don't own the song by Flourence and the Machine that the chapter is named after. You should hear it though its awesomely Crona. I wanna do an AMV with it one day. ANYWAY! ENJOY THE CHAPTER :D

Chapter 3

Rabbit Heart

_'I am scared here. Ragnarok keeps telling me I have to leave my room, but Kid was so kind to give this room to me...I can't screw it up by messing with it too much. We have been sleeping on the floor since the day I came here...it was a Thursday I think. But the bed was perfect...I can't touch perfect things. Ragnarok told me so. When we were on that mission back when we did all those evil things I remember. A butterfly came down and landed on my hand when I was waiting on a hill until nightfall. It was so soft, tickling me with it's so many legs. I wanted to touch it, that's all I wanted...it was so beautiful. I wanted to know what it's wings felt like. I reached for it but he stopped me. He said if I touched it's wings it would never fly again. He said it would die. He said he didn't want to here me whining all day because I touched it's wings. He called it stupid and said he didn't care what I did, he just didn't want to hear me complain. Then he said a bunch of offensive things. I always want that...to see how things feel. There is a big emptiness inside. How do those things feel...those things normal people get? I saw Patti ask Liz for something called 'cuddling' when they were watching a movie the other day. I was watching from the corner. I haven't talked to those girls since Liz shot us. I don't want to scare her again. Patti asked for cuddling, and Liz gave her that look. Patti and I are alike I think because people give her that look too. The look they give me. When I say something odd. Something that most normal people know its not really okay to say. Maka called it innocent. It seems like a weird word to use. Liz asked 'isn't that an odd thing to want from your sister when you are so grown up?' but Patti didn't think so, so Liz opened up her arms and Patti leaned against her, sitting so close. They looked so happy just to be leaning on each other, arms around each other. I want that touch too. Is it just for sisters? I want to know what it feels like. Maybe from Maka...her skin is so warm compared to mine. To our's. Maybe it's our blood. I am cold all the time. But I can't ask for that...because when I touched the butterfly's wings...something so beautiful. It never flew away. A powder ended up on my fingers and it lost its color where I touched it. If I touch something that's perfect...it will get messed up. I am certain of it._

"Hello? Oh hi Kid! How are things going?" Maka answered the mirror in her living room. Behind her Kid could see Soul watching television with Blair perched happily on the back of the couch.

"Not so well." Kid sighed. "He hasn't left his room since we first moved him in except to go to the bathroom and leave for class. We leave him food and he eats it and says thank you several times before disappearing back into the room. It's as if he is afraid to breath here. I haven't got a clue what father was thinking." He said, sounding exhausted.

"Well...let's all get together since its Saturday? Can Soul and I come over?" Maka offered. She had really wanted Crona to stay with her and Soul but she knew their apartment was simply way too small. It was tough enough to have elbow room when Blair decided she was bored of being a cat.

"That sounds great. Black Star and Tsubaki were supposed to come over to watch some wrestling thing with Liz and Patti later tonight. We could make it a party." Kid replied, perking up a bit. It was a good opportunity.

"Perfect. We will be over in an hour or so. Just make sure it's not too formal of an occasion. Crona gets uncomfortable if he thinks too much pressure is on."

"Right of course."

"In the meantime, try having a conversation with him about it...find out why he isn't coming out of his room." She added. "See you in a bit!" the mirror faded back to Kid's own reflection. He informed Liz and Patti of the impending party and proceeded upstairs to Crona's room

–

Crona was sitting in the corner on his pillow, milling around in his own head when a short, soft knock interrupted him. "c..cc...come in..." He called out softly. Kid entered, flooding the room with light from the hallway.

"Why is it so dark in here..." Kid said quietly, almost to himself. He turned his golden gaze on Crona's huddled form. "What on earth?" His eyes traveled from Crona, around the room. It was too big for the small amount of things it held. The little dresser from Crona's room at the academy. An empty suitcase he recognized as Tsubaki's old one, before she had gotten the new one their last big outing. A chair and simple desk, and the bed Kid already had in the room. The bed was completely untouched, as perfect as the day Kid had so carefully made it for the guest meister. His eyes lingered on the perfectly tucked and folded bed, missing only the pillow which the lanky pink-haired boy was sitting on. "What..."

"It was too perfect!" Crona defended. His voice was like a small child's who doesn't quite know if they have done something wrong but has decided to apologize for it anyway. "I..couldn't mess something like that up."

Kid stiffened. "Crona you have been sleeping on the floor these past several nights?" He asked, astounded. Crona nodded, lowering his gaze to the ground. "No wonder you have been so tired looking at school. What would make you think a thing like that?" Kid marveled. He crossed the room steadily, not wanting to come off as upset. When he stood right in front of Crona, the swordsman wondered if Kid would make him stand to meet his gaze. He jumped a little when instead, the other teen sat down on the other edge of the pillow right next to him. He peered over at Kid out of the corner of his worry-worn eyes.

"Is it because I am so obsessively clean?" Kid asked softly. Crona's eye widened.

"Tha..that's not it...well...a little, but it's okay! This is your house...I expect you to have rules. I don't want to mess it all up. I'll ruin it. I know I will." Crona's voice wavered as he spoke. He almost yelped when he felt a cool touch on his back. Kid's hand, even through velvet his dress-robe, was chilly, though not in a clammy way. Crona wondered if Kid's body was different at temperature just like his that he shared with Ragnarok.

"Crona I want to tell you something very important." Kid said, pausing to wait for the other meister to look at him. He was surprised to see that Crona's cheeks had turned that deep rust color they tended to turn when the boy blushed. Something always made Crona blush very deeply when he did at all. Maybe it was his hand on the thin teen's back? Kid noticed that he could just feel the round knots of Crona's spine under his fingertips. Still, he knew the value of touch, and how important it was to know that someone was really there when you felt alone. As a child, Kid too had been somewhat deprived of this very simple act. His father, though loving, was physically and literally distant. Bound to the school as far back as Kid could remember, Death wasn't always able to be around. Kid was mostly raised by various Deathscythes, school administrators and friends of the family. Though he understood the reasons now, it didn't help the small, empty spot in his soul.

"Crona." He began again when he was certain he had the swordsman's full attention. "My house is your house now too. You should feel welcome here. I promise not to get mad if things get messy. I like it perfect, but that's me. I will fix it because it's _my_ mind that wants it that way. Patti and Liz mess around and knock things askew all the time. And I fix them. Sometimes I freak out for a minute, but that's just the things that are wrong with my mind talking. I know they are not normal, so I will not force them on others. I put that bed in here to be slept on, not so that you could lose sleep trying to lay on the hard floor."

"But...I won't know how to deal with it if I mess something up so badly it never works again. What if you are mad? I couldn't deal with that for sure..." Crona mumbled. Kid looked at him, a little shocked. Then he gave a small, nervous laugh.

"I don't know how to deal with someone that's scared of my symmetry..." He admitted. It was hard to admit, too. Kid knew deep down that he echoed some of Crona's hell inside his very own head. He took a deep breath, it was so hard to drop the cool demeanor that protected him every day to talk this deeply, and honestly. He scarcely knew why he had chosen now. "We will have to learn to deal with each other, right?" He asked. Crona's heart beat sped just a little.

_'someone other than me doesn't know how to deal with things? But Kid is so good at dealing with things...he wants to work together on it? We have something...alike? I don't understand but...'_ Crona studied Kid's eyes for a moment. They were full of sympathy, of compassion, and a little tinge of worry. Worry, like his own. _'if he will go this far for me...I will work on it too. For my friend. Because we are alike.'_ Crona mustered a small nod. He felt Kid's cool hand leave his back and come down in his hair. Crona's face got hot again, he knew he was blushing. He did that every time someone touched him or even looked at him too much. Kid gave him a small ruffle of the hair with a half-smirk. Then he promptly smoothed each hair back into place, which turned out to be impossible because the pink strands didn't really have a proper place on the messy head. Kid sighed and finally gave up when Crona was staring at the ground, shaking slightly and blushing a very deep shade of rust.

"Your hair...its...difficult." Kid said finally, giving up. He could visibly see the other meister's nervousness at being touched so much. _'he must blush so dark because black blood through peach skin turns dark red...' _he mused_._

"D..d..d..d'you think I should c...cut it?" Crona asked him, casting a glance to the boy at his side. "Ill look more like a boy..." he added, quoting Ragnarok. He wasn't used to asking other people for their opinions. This reminded Kid of something else he wanted to ask, he wondered if now was the right time. What was Crona's birth sex? Of course, it only really mattered to Kid what it was Crona wanted to be addressed as, but still...would now be a good time to ask?

"Crona?"

"Kid! Crona!" It was Maka's voice that interrupted him before he could decide ask anything at all. She appeared in the doorway. "Hi! I've missed you both! It's been a while, well, seen you guys at school but it's been so hectic with getting ready for winter break that we haven't even gotten to talk!" She said happily.

"Maka...all this food you brought isn't light! I'm not carrying it in all by my freakin' self!" Soul's voice echoed up the stairs.

"Oh! Right...see you two downstairs!" She added, overjoyed to be seeing everyone outside of school for the first time in nearly a month. "I'm coming, can't I have a minute before you start in..." Her voice faded as she grumbled sarcastically at Soul.

"Kid?" Crona whispered, his soft voice catching in his throat. Kid turned towards him once more. "Thanks..." The swordsman blushed again.

"Of course, any time." Kid responded, a little surprise tinging his voice. "Just...start sleeping on the bed I gave you. Okay? It's really alright. I would rather see you do well in class then be concerned about messing up some sheets. If you ever make a mess in here I can simply do what I do with Patti's room every day."

"W...whats that?"

"Close the door." They both laughed, as much as either one of them ever really laughed. "Now...lets go downstairs...all our friends are going to come over tonight. Not a formal party. Just to spend time together." Kid stood and turned to leave.

A small voice echoed in the back of Crona's mind.

_'will there ever be anyone like me? Will there be someone with something 'alike'?'_

_'No. There never was or will be anyone with something in common with you. You are alone. You only have me. Is that not enough? No one would want to be 'alike' with you. Disgusting. If I am not enough, then you can be alone.'_

Crona whimpered. Kid turned to look at him.

"Coming?" He asked. Crona lifted himself to his feet, trying to beat the thought down. It was so hard to fight against the desire to hide...to give in to what she had said to her child. But...the answer was yes...even if it had the same result as before...he wanted to try. He hoped this time that the beautiful thing could still fly after he touched it. And maybe...if it did... maybe it was possible...he could fly too.

–

"Hyaahooo!" Black Stars voice range out over the whole house. He was bouncing up and down in his seat on the couch. The popcorn that was in the bowl in his arm did a magnificent flip into the air and rained down on the heads of Tsubaki, Liz and Patti who were all seated next to him. Somehow, Maka got the impression that Black Stars favorite had just won a match. "SEE! I always pick the best because I am the best! HaHaHa!" He yelled, oblivious to the mess he had just made. Soul was thankful he was sitting in the left armchair instead of sharing the couch with the rest. He was only mildly interested in wrestling, but it was slightly better than the game show he had been watching at his own house.

"Hey just because he won this match, doesn't mean he will win against my guy!" Liz fired back, frustration tinging her voice as she picked pieces of popcorn from her delicate hair. She wasn't wearing a hat at all today, and starting to regret it. She, Patti and Kid had all chosen to wear their more comfortable house clothes, normal sweats, shorts and t-shirts. Kid had instructed it was to be an informal party, which by the looks of it was a decision he was having a difficult time facing as his eye twitched at all the popcorn that now randomly dotted his floor. He pressed his face in to his hand to keep from having a fit as he and Maka leaned on the island counter in the well-adorned kitchen, hovering over the snacks. Maka had brought most of the food, knowing Kid could really only make things like liver patte' and toast points. His formal upbringing left him unknown to the joys of chips and salsa, pizza pockets and chicken wings.

"YAAY! It's time for the girl wrestlers!" Patti screamed, her flailing arms scarcely missing Liz's head. Her bare feet stamped on several pieces of popcorn as she danced happily. It was apparent that the 'diva' wrestlers were her favorite part of the show. The popcorn-stomping however, was Kid's breaking point. He disappeared before Maka even noticed and returned with a broom and dustpan. He moved quickly into the living room and began frantically sweeping up the lost yellow treats. He ignored the fevered protests of his guests as he blocked the TV screen now and then.

"Kid, lookout!" Maka called from her spot not far away leaning on the kitchen island. It was too late however. Just as Kid looked up to scold Black Star for spilling more popcorn, his broom collided with something hard. He stopped mid-word and looked down. He had finally discovered where Crona had slunk off to. The Pink-haired sword meister was sitting cross-legged on the floor and had been eating the stray popcorn as it fell towards him from the couch. He had a piece halfway to his mouth, eyes fixed on the TV, when out of the blue he took a slap right to the face by the flat side of Kid's broom. The room stood frozen now, broom still pressed against Crona's cheek as a stunned look seemed to be stuck on his face. The piece of popcorn fell from the meister's hand.

"C...crona..." Kid muttered, shock wearing off. "W...wh...why on earth are you eating popcorn off the floor?" He recovered immediately, flailing with complete overload.

"I...i...is it odd?" Crona questioned, baffled. He eyed the broom in Kid's hand the way most people eye Ragnarok in sword form. It didn't take more than that thought to waken the sleeping Demon-sword. From out of Crona's back he burst, laughing hysterically.

"THAT was the FUNNIEST fucking thing I have ever seen!" He shouted. "You..hehehe...totally just got slapped with a broom! Idiot! HAHA."

Then...a snicker started at the armchair. It was Soul...He could no longer contain his laughter. Liz was turning blue from holding hers in so long. She too started laughing out of control. Soon the whole room was alive with laughter. All but Kid, who stood still holding the offending broom limply at his side, and Crona, who was completely confused. Maka strode over to her skittish friend, giggling herself.

"Crona, it's okay." She said softly. "We are laughing with you and Kid, not at you."

"I...is it that funny that I ate the popcorn?" He stammered, talking very quickly as the room started to quiet down. The commercial break was over and everyone was recovering from a good laugh. "I just thought...that since Kid mops the floor every day...and I didn't think about where it came from...I was just sitting here and suddenly...popcorn. So I ate it...is that weird?" He sounded on the verge of panic. Maka laughed again and dropped herself into the other armchair, the one not occupied by her weapon-partner, and right next to Crona.

"Of course it is stupid Crona popcorn doesn't fall out of the sky! It gets thrown by clumsy idiots!" Ragnarok shot before Maka had a chance to speak. That spurred a long yelling match between the Demon-sword and the Assassin Black Star, both of who's egos could fill the whole room. Over the noise Maka leaned over the edge of the chair so that Crona could hear her. He was still fretting to himself.

"Crona, it's not weird. It was funny. When your friends laugh because of something you do, its because we are comfortable enough to laugh with you. Me and Soul laugh at what the other does all the time. Don't worry about it. You should try laughing with us next time. It's healthy to be able to laugh at yourself when you do something silly." She said with a grin.

"Silly? Try idiotic! Who eats popcorn that just falls from the sky?" Ragnarok responded to Maka, who looked at him flatly. But Crona knew better than to listen to Ragnarok's insults. It was what Maka had said to him that resounded in his mind. "Ugh, I can't take all you sappy-types! Shut up so I can watch some people beat each other up!" Ragnarok screeched. Maka took it that the argument with Black Star (which she had not listened to) had not gone in the Demon-sword's favor.

"Do you want the chair, Crona?" She asked, quietly under the sound of the show and the cheers.

"Oh...n..no Maka I'm okay here...I don't mind the floor. Its perfectly okay!" He responded quickly.

"Well...at least you can sit in front of it and lean your back against the arm..." She said, smiling.

"Um...if that's okay I guess. You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead!"

"Move if your gonna move dammit, just quit with the talking already! This wrestling shit is awesome!" Ragnarok piped in. Crona scooted across the floor until he was comfortably leaning on the front of Maka's armrest. He looked up at her out of the corner of his vision. Maybe he could ask her now? Better wait...maybe she would think it was weird, or turn him down...that would be too much to handle in front of everyone. He would ask to 'cuddle' some other time. For now he was content, as Maka offered him some chips, to sit right here, close to someone who cared, in a room full of people who smiled and laughed...close enough to see the beautiful thing he had at his fingertips. Even Ragnarok was happy right now...and the other person inside Crona...the one who needed tenderness. She was still waiting, but she too, was happy.

–

"Hey...Kid?"

"Y..yeah Tsubaki?"

"Well I hate to ask but whenever you are recovered from the shock of smacking Crona with a broom...could you please..."

"Oh...right..." A still slightly shocked kid planted himself on the floor. He had been standing stock still for fifteen minutes, blocking Tsubaki's view of the show.

–

"Bye guys! Same time in two weeks maybe?" Black Star shouted, but he never really wasn't shouting when he spoke. Soul Hi-fived him.

"Later dude." Was all he said.

"Bye, sounds great...maybe me and Soul's place!" Maka responded, waving at the two as they walked down the drive.

"Thank you for coming." Kid said politely.

"Thank you for having us!" Tsubaki replied, just as politely, bowing to him. Crona managed a small wave from his hiding spot behind Maka. Ragnarok had promptly disappeared from his back when the show ended and all the snacks were gone. Black Star and Tsubaki faded into the dark street and Kid closed the door.

"Phew..." He uttered, then set to work cleaning up the remaining mess. Maka and Crona joined in, and soon the house was clean. Liz and Patti had already gone to bed, citing early morning shopping as a good reason to get some sleep. After the cleaning up was done Maka, Kid and Crona all sat back down in the living room. Soul entered a moment later, a black and white electric guitar and amp in tow. He hooked the system up and turned the volume on low, plucking out a medley of tunes, most of them rock and metal. But his playing seemed to seal the room with a sense of closeness. He played for a few hours, every so often joined in with song by Kid or Maka when he played a bit of something they recognized. When it had finally gotten quite late, Kid's eyelids began to get heavy.

"I am afraid I am going to have to sleep soon. I am quite tired. Having Black Star in my house does that to me. I don't dislike him, but it is a lot more activity than I am used to." He explained after yawning for the third time.

"It's cool. I was going to head home soon anyway." Soul said, grinning. "Thanks for letting me play for you guys."

"I always like hearing you play music Soul." Maka said happily. "But a shopping trip with the girls sounds nice...I really want to come back and meet up with them early when they leave. Tomorrow's a big sale day..."

Kid yawned again. "Well...If you don't mind sleeping on the couch you are more than welcome to stay the night and leave with the girls in the morning." He said, trying hard to stay awake. Crona watched the conversation go back and forth. He felt a little better knowing that Kid was so welcoming about people staying at his house. It made him feel like less of a burden.

"Maka, I'll probably head home. I want to adjust that rattling coupling on my bike tomorrow, but I won't be mad if you want to stay." He said honestly, prepping his guitar to make the ride back home.

"You sure Soul?" She asked.

"Yeah, I have the bike." He said, giving her another grin.

"Okay, awesome! I can't wait to go to tomorrow's sale." She squealed. Soul laughed. Maka may act tough, but deep down, she really was a girl. He toyed with the idea of saying that thought out loud, but decided he didn't feel like getting that heavy-looking table lamp next to Maka's chair thrown a him.

"I'll see you out then I am heading to bed. Goodnight, Maka, Crona. See you at seven for breakfast in the morning." Kid said, sounding more sleepy by the second. It was strange to see him act so natural, but Maka felt like it was good for him to be so comfortable around her and Soul. She said her goodnights to her partner and followed Kid upstairs for a few minutes. She returned in some borrowed sleep clothes, a little too long so they probably belonged to Liz. She walked softly, barefooted now, back down in the living room where Crona was still sitting on the couch, looking a little sleepy himself.

"You going to bed too Crona?" She asked, lowering her voice now that everyone else was trying to sleep.

"Um..I can, if you want..." He replied quickly.

"Was there something that you wanted to do? I still am not quite sleepy, Soul's music makes me feel energized." She asked, sitting down next to her best friend. "You did really well tonight, I am so proud of you. You dealt with everything that was going on really well." She added smiling. Crona seemed to struggle with something for a moment. He delved into himself, making sure Ragnarok was asleep. He could feel the sword's sleeping spirit inside of his soul. Then he turned to look at Maka. She was giving him an inquisitive look. She always seemed to know when something was up.

"Maka..." He started slowly, then bit his lip a little. She waited patiently, turning sideways on the couch with her legs crossed. He took a deep breath, heartbeat speeding up a little. "I was wondering...what is "cuddling"? What is it like?" He said finally, the words hard to push past his throat. Maka seemed startled for a moment, then her face returned to normal.

"Well its like...um...its a...Crona have you never been held? Have you never cuddled?" She asked, not really able to describe what a cuddle was. Crona shook his head, casting his eyes downward. Maka felt tears well up behind her eyes, stinging them a little. She felt this sting of sadness. Sometimes she forgot what a broken soul her little favorite was. She had touched his so lonely, sad soul once, resonating with it. There was something no human could understand unless they had done it, and that was soul resonance. There was no more pure connection than that between soul wavelengths. A bond greater than friendship, deeper than blood and as strong as love in it's purest form, that was soul resonance. And when you have done that, there are little ties left behind...ones that let you know that that person is there, know their emotions or really, _feel_ their emotions as they happen. They wavelengths sang a story just like a song. And right now, she remembered, just how sad Crona's song was. Innocent Crona, a child who was never held. Before she knew it, a hot tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly so Crona didn't see and take it the wrong way.

She took a deep breath to calm her own spirit down and leaned back comfortably against the arm of the chair. She let one leg sink to the floor while the other propped against the back of the couch and spread her arms wide.

"Come here...We will cuddle." She said finally. Crona's head snapped up. His eyes widened, he had no clue what to do. "Just come and sit in front of my lap." Maka instructed, sensing his feelings of incomprehension. Slowly, shakily, he did what she said. Still, he sat in front of her, crouched over his knees. "Relax...lean back against me." She coached. As he did so she wrapped his right arm around her side and to her back and brought him down to lay sideways across her front, his head resting gently under her chin. He was now a deep shade of rust. So many nerves were being set off at once across every part of his body that contacted her's. He felt he was melting. "Relax and just enjoy being close to someone. That's how you cuddle!" She whispered. She reached one hand and slid some stray strands of hair away from his face. Finally, she felt him relax, his grip on her tightening. Instinct must have taken over because he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. A twinging fear rose up in his mind for a moment.

"Is..is this okay...Maka?" He whispered, almost unable to speak. His face was burning, but she was so soft, the softest, warmest person in the world it seemed. And so loving. Crona felt loved. Crona felt nurtured, cared for...all the things that were never present before. Now the meister knew what had been missing all along.

"Yes, Crona. For you...it's fine. There are a lot of things people will never understand in this world properly. One of them is caring for someone more than simple romantic love can offer. They bonds of souls run as various and as deep as people themselves." She seemed to be thinking very deeply now. One of her hands reached up and threaded itself through Crona's hair. It was soft, like satin for all it's unevenness. "This is the sort of bond that sisters have, sometimes even best friends have it. It's a real bond. Crona...Please don't laugh at me when I say this, and please don't tell others...but I don't believe in one true love...Like romantic stories. I just don't think relationships are like that. Dating, flirting, having sex, buying someone things...those things are so much more superficial than this." She punctuated the last word with a slight squeeze, pulling her friend closer against her. Tears were hiding behind her closed eyes and she ran her hands up and down the velvet of Crona's clothing along his back. "This, to me...this is the best love, the true love. Just being close to other people, the ones that matter most. No matter what label people will try and put on your relationship to another person...you don't have to listen. Some people might call us cuddling strange. But I don't really care...it feels good to have one of the most important people in the world to me right here in my arms, just the two of us...sharing ourselves." She whispered.

"Me too." Crona replied, almost inaudibly. Her fingers massaged his sore back, arms. Soon he bravely reached up and placed his hand on the crook of her neck, between her jaw and shoulder. No matter what anyone else thought...they had the most intimate closeness. She kissed his forehead very softly, and he looked up, tears in his eyes. "me too." Crona said again.

There was a side to the pink haired meister that had finally come out of hiding, out of fear. A femininity that was all but beaten out of the poor child. He, She and Ragnarok were finally beginning to find peace. Crona could feel that in his three-sided spirit. This...was what all the sides that made up the whole, broken spirit known as 'Crona' had always needed and longed for.

–

PostNotes: ^_^ Working on the next chapter already. Planning to throw in some action in the upcoming chapters sometime, while what happens will test the limits of everyone's spirits and connection to one another. I wanted to bring in a little bit of Black Star and Tsubaki in this chapter, but we may not hear much of them too often. I promise to give them a little screen time now and then, but I tend to focus on Crona, Maka, Kid and their respective partners. I might bring Black Star and Tsubaki in more later on in a different story arc. LOVE!


	4. The only Hope for Me is You

Pre Notes: Hello again! Well here it is, Chapter 4! I feel like this chapter jumps around a little and I apologize in advance for that. I also am taking a little creative liberty with my antagonist. Hope y'all enjoy!

Edit: FORGOT my disclaimer O-o I don't know if this is still necessary this deep in but better safe than sued. Soul Eater and all it's characters belong to their creators. Koku-Ryuu is mine, the title belongs to MCR's song of the same title.

Chapter 4

The only Hope for Me is you

_'Folds upon folds of coiled body, one long singular existence, as smooth and as hard as polished marble, yet fluid as the winding river. Elongated reptilian scales sliding like ice upon glass over one another. Eyes that could have been cut from garnets flash and scent of dust and ash all but overwhelm me. So many coils...each width of body twice as tall as me. How can something so large, as big as a train, move with so very little sound? Entrancing, fluid motion. Such a familiar scent, it makes me very, very afraid. A cold fear, older than time. It breaths in long, heavy strokes and the wind from it's hot lungs overwhelms me, I choke. Why does this feel so familiar? What is this being, have I met it before? It...she...I don't know how I can tell, but something screams inside my head that this reptile is...female. A mother. My Mother?'_

"_So there you are, Crona the Demon Sword-bearer."_

Crona's voice split Death the Kid's house in two, almost literally. His unintentional scream resonance took hold and waves of dangerous vibration shook the foundations of the four-bedroom home. Kid, Liz and Maka woke simultaneously, hands clasped desperately over ears to block out the painful sound. Maka, who had fallen asleep on the couch with the swordsman on her lap the previous night, tried to call out his name. Her loudest voice was still drowned out by the frantic teen, who was already creating several bruises on her legs as he scrambled to disentangle himself from her and escape his nightmare. Without thinking she took her hands off her ears and launched herself at her closest friend, arms wrapping around his lithe frame with all her strength. He resisted, taking a short breath and began to scream again. Only when he felt his foot collide with something quite soft did he begin to understand where he was. Maka fell back, winded from the hard kick she had just received to the stomach. The screaming stopped. Crona was frozen, mortified. He had kicked Maka. She was struggling to breath now as she had the wind knocked out of her lungs. Crona's own breath was ragged, uneven and frightened. There was a loud, jumbled thudding of feet pounding down the stairwell and Kid and Liz both bolted into the living room at nearly the same time. Everyone's ears were still ringing. Maka regained her breath in one ragged gasp.

"M.M...M...m...m...ma...maka...Maka!" Crona stammered, unable to keep his body from shaking from head to toe. He crawled towards her on the couch, but stopped only inches away from touching her back with his delicate fingertips. He was unsure if it was even okay to touch her after what just happened. She coughed and choked as she tried to regain control of her lung function.

"What on Earth..." Kid said sharply as he stepped forward, poised for anything. Maka put up a defensive hand and looked up from her doubled over stance. Her face was pale but she forced a small smile.

"S...solar...p...p..plexus." She rasped. She was almost...laughing? Kid almost collapsed with relief. So that was all? Crona had just perfect aim by accident and all it was was the wind knocked out of Maka and nothing worse. Just like when you fall to hard on your back and cant breath for a moment. But...

"That's a relief...you aren't hurt but okay, Crona what the hell happened?" Liz spoke everyone in the room's mind. Crona's eyes snapped to the tall weapon.

"I...i...d...d...d..had a d...dre.." He attempted, blocking on another word in his stutter.

"He had a...nightmare I think." Maka said softly. She noticed Crona's hand still hovering fearfully near her shoulder. She reached up and took it gently. Honest relief flooded Crona's entire body. So he hadn't screwed up beyond repair just yet. "Is that it Crona" She asked, turning towards him. He nodded weakly, turning to sit properly facing Kid and Liz, the hand not being held by Maka's had a vice grip on his knee.

"It was h..her..." He muttered.

"Do what?" Liz sighed as she made her way across the room and sat in one of the two armchairs. "Look, Crona we can't really hear very well. How ever you managed it without your weapon you just used your scream resonance at four in the morning. So yeah. Speak up." Crona glanced at her sheepishly. He wasn't quite sure if she was really mad at him or just irritable from the bad wake-up.

"I um...think the dream was ..bout her...my...um...mother." He said, just a little louder than before. "I am so s-s-sorry. I didn't mean to get so upset. I just couldn't tell it wasn't real...It seemed so real..." He shuddered again at the flashes of the dream he remembered. He could have sworn he was somewhere else, more like memory than a dream. But now all he could remember was coils, a familiar feeling and scales of a giant reptile, presumably a snake. Kid joined Liz in sitting, taking the opposite chair for himself. He had almost expected something like this. Someone with as disturbed a mind as Crona's was bound to produce night-terrors, it was not uncommon at all in cases of neurosis.

"Ah, don't worry about it. If I had a penny for every time Patti has woken me up from a deep sleep because of a nightmare. Or Kid even...when he dreams of the a-symmetrical." She let out a laugh. Kid looked a little ruffled.

"Excuse me, wasn't it you who woke me up two weeks ago because...oh what was it? You were scared that there was a phantom in your closet?" He quipped. "But...speaking of Patti..." Kid mused. Suddenly everyone except Crona was on the same thought. Where was the smaller sister? Surely the screaming woke her too.

A few minutes later the whole group made their way upstairs towards Patti's room.

"Maybe she was so scared that she didn't leave her room, Patti?" Liz said as they approached the door to Patti's bedroom. "Patti?" She called a little louder, "It's okay...Crona got woken up by a nightmare and his scream was just accidentally sort of an attack..." Liz realized how awkward the explanation was almost as soon as she had said it. Still no response though. Finally she turned the handle and slowly peered into the room, her curious house-mates and friend right behind her. Patti was definitely still in her room. In fact still in her bed...still asleep!

"What?" three voices said loudly in unison.

"No way...she slept through that whole thing?" Liz said incredulously.

–

It was only a short time before everyone had calmed down, falling back into their usual morning selves. Kid got out four coffee cups and lined them up, two of each color. He and Liz had decided it would be better to let Patti keep sleeping until the time they had planned on getting up already. He brewed a large pot of coffee and let everyone make their own cups. He knew better then to try to sweeten all the cups since not everyone liked exactly the same amount. He quickly distracted his mind by sitting at the kitchen table across from Crona and joining in the conversation.

"So you really don't know how you did that? Aren't you supposed to only be able to use scream resonance when Ragnarok is out in weapon mode?" Maka was inquiring, a curious but slightly sleepy smile on her face as she brought over her own cup as well as one for Crona. "You like it sweet if I remember?" She added. Crona nodded.

"I um...really don't know. I guess because Ragnarok is always a part of me...we can resonate our souls any time I guess. It's happened before...but only as an accident. Like when I'm not thinking about it. Thank you very much..." He added to both Maka and Kid as he sipped his coffee. It tasted like syrup...too much sugar. But he smiled a very small smile at the thought that Maka was trying to make it sweet enough for him. He looked at Maka's cup...Very light, a lot of cream and probably a medium amount of sugar. Kid had fixed his last, sugar but no cream. And Liz took hers with a little sugar and a little cream.

"That is entirely possible." Kid commented. "All that is needed for soul resonance is proximity and matching wavelengths. The possibilities are endless when your weapon is inside your body. And in certain attacks your voice joins Ragnarok's doesn't it? You have mostly audio and blood-based blade attacks."

Crona nodded. He wasn't quite used to being analyzed, so he blushed a little and returned his gaze to his too-sweet coffee. Coffee...it brought back some nerve-racking memories. Still, his friends drank a lot of it, and he was getting used to having to deal with those memories every day. He ran one delicate finger over the rim of the cup in deep thought. He was vaguely aware of the conversation going on around him. They were talking about how people's style of weapon and attacking style really reflected their personalities. He wondered about his. Did he and Ragnarok use scream attacks because all too often they felt like screaming and couldn't? So many times scream resonance and screech alpha came straight up from somewhere in the pit of their combined emotions at the things that happened to both of them.

–

The day passed slowly, the girls completed their shopping trip and Crona got roped into helping Kid re-arrange the house while they were away. Things were made more difficult by Ragnarok's untimely appearance, in which he knocked things askew every time Crona looked away.

Finally after realizing that Ragnarok wasn't helping at all, in fact twice he had nearly sent Kid into seizures, Crona decided it would be best if he went and ran a few errands of his own. Primarily, he wanted to take the short walk to Miss Marie and Professor Stein's home. Now that he lived in town with Kid, they were only three blocks from the couple's house, seven blocks walk from the school, twelve blocks the other direction from Maka's place and ten blocks from Black Star's if you crossed through the school grounds. He approached the door to the stitch-adorned home. He had visited them twice since the last battle, and both times was still welcomed warmly.

"Hi!" A sunny voice called from his left. There was Miss Marie, enjoying her Sunday by tending some rather-dangerous looking rose bushes in front of Stein's home. She reached a hand up to wave and then jumped as one of the Roses tried to wrap itself around her wrist. She seemed to decide that was enough trimming them for the day and walked towards Crona. Upon closer inspection she had many tiny cuts on her arms and hands from the plants.

"Miss Marie y...your bleeding!" Crona responded, leaning towards her with one hand out. She looked shocked and glanced at her arms. She blushed and laughed.

"Yeah I guess I am! Those rose bushes looked like they needed attention and I thought I would trim and weed them while Franken wasn't home...but I should have figured they were sentient. Everything around here has a mind of it's own. Sometimes I feel like I am a little out of place here." She said with another laugh as she opened the front door, letting Crona and herself inside.

"I know how that feels." Crona added softly, blushing a little himself. She must feel the way he did at Kid's home. A little out of place, but welcome. He followed her to the kitchen where she stood at the sink, rinsing the tiny cuts. He stared a moment at the pale pink-red blood that rinsed down the drain. She smiled at him.

"Don't worry, they aren't deep at all, they will be healed by tomorrow." She said comfortingly. Somehow, she always made Crona feel like 'little Crona' all over again, without all the wrongness of his youth. A thought sprung into his foggy mind. He turned and walked quickly away, leaving the blond woman to stare confused at the doorway through which he had disappeared.

Crona returned a short time later though, hiding something behind his back and blushing slightly as he stared at the ground. Marie dried her arms with a paper towel, spotting it red in a few places.

"What's that Crona?" She asked. Her voice was always so innocent, sweet-sounding. It almost pained Crona. He lifted his head a little and brought a small box of band-aids from behind his back. Marie smiled. "Thank you Crona, that's very thoughtful!"

Words were always troublesome things for the Swordsman. They never came out right, especially in this world full of kind people. His vocabulary was limited at best and there were a lot of concepts of talking he didn't understand. He had spent so much time repeating the same things over to himself alone in the dark, or having the same argument with the others inside of their singular body, explaining his thoughts was difficult at best. And those thoughts he tried to explain rarely made as much sense to others. To make it worse there was that horrible stutter he had developed. A 'speech difficulty' as it had been explained to him. It made some words taste weird and others get stuck at one single letter. He would often try to think of other words to replace them with. Ones without difficult letters like D, B, T or M and N. And it was worse when he tried harder. Here though, it was so much easier somehow. No one else really knew what Miss Marie could do for him. She could hear him without his words, almost better than Maka, but unlike Maka she never tried to explain in words what Crona couldn't. Miss Marie would simply understand and respond.

Like now, without Crona having to tell her she knew that he wanted to be the one to dress her wounds. She smiled at him and sat down on the couch, the pink-haired teen following immediately. He crouched in front of her and opened the box of band-aids. He selected the smallest ones for small cuts, bigger ones for the two long cuts the plant had given her. Doing little things like this helped him feel better, as if he were making up for the past. When he was through Marie reached up and ruffled his uneven hair and smiled.

"You really are a very kind person Crona." She said. He looked at her, Joy and sadness dancing in his eyes simultaneously. Kind was something he never thought he would hear said about himself, though he secretly longed to as far back as he could remember. They sat for a long time, Crona cross-legged on the floor and Marie upon the couch. She told him about her day, about her life for the last few days. About Stein and his antics. She laughed and Crona smiled his tiny little smile when she did. She asked him about his day and waited patiently as he explained at his own pace how things were living with Kid. He told her about Kid opening up to him, and about being held by Maka, and about having a nightmare and scaring everyone, though he didn't go into detail about much of it.

"Have you told any of them yet?" She inquired, serious but not cold. Crona shook his head frantically. "Do you think you will? You don't have to of course...but if you begin to trust your friends enough then you should. It sounds like they have trusted you with some of their secrets."

"Th...their secrets are not like mine. Mine is...d..di..disgusting. I don't want them to have to think about it. I don't want them to think about that, or about my past. I don't want them to look at me with pity because of that. Because of her. I want to be strong like they are...I can deal with my problems, but I can't deal with pity." He explained slowly, slightly muffled by his face being half buried in one of Marie's throw-pillows from the couch. He was using to hide his face when answering that question. Marie leaned forward and put on gentle hand on Crona's thin shoulder.

"You are strong, Crona...I don't think they will pity you. I don't. I didn't even when I found out. I care about you. I may never be able to have children, for so many reasons...so I care about kids like you Crona, and the other students. I want to help you all. I honestly accept you how you are. I think your friends would too. But give yourself time. There is no rush." She said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. He hid his smile and deep blush behind the pillow. He was still not used to anyone touching him in such gentle ways. Still, it made him feel happy. That elusive, unfamiliar and exciting feeling. Happy.

The long, strange Sunday ended, a new dawn on a new school day beginning.

For the first time, Crona walked to school with Kid and his weapon-partners. He trailed slightly behind them, smiling to himself. He wondered if this comfortable feeling was what it was like to have a family. Miss Marie, Kid and Liz and Patti...a mother, brother and sisters. Maka, another sister...Soul? A cool confident cousin. Black Star like a younger brother...Tsubaki like a mature cousin. Though he didn't have anything to compare the way he felt about them to. Nothing to base these new feelings off of, he guessed at their position in his family. He mused on this until he was rudely awakened from his thoughts by a hard rap to the head. He hadn't even felt Ragnarok draw out from his body, but sure enough there he was, knocking Crona's head around harmlessly.

"Whaat..." Crona whined.

"Why didn't you wake me for breakfast you jerk! Whenever I don't eat for us you never eat enough! No wonder your a fucking bean stalk!" Ragnarok complained loudly.

"Crona! Ragnarok! Hi!" It was Maka, calling across the school grounds. She was standing with Soul...

Crona smiled. His family. Another day with them was beginning. He almost had the beautiful thing at his fingertips. Now to see if it would stay that way.

–

The death room was dark, all the light was turned down by some outside force desiring secrecy. A conversation was occuring between two of the oldest beings in the known world. Now of all times, She had chosen to contact him, Her voice was cool, stoney and smooth.

"_Shinigami._"

"Koku-Ryuu. Such formality. I am curious why you would choose to contact me. It has been millennium since any other ancient immortals have had any contact with my family. By the way, most of my students refer to me as Lord Death or Grim Reaper now. By now so many have forgotten the uses for those ancient names."

"_I have no interest in small talk, you should know this by now. It has been quite a span of time, but not long enough that I have forgotten where we come from. And unlike most of the other immortals, I know not lengthy, empty slumber. I still breath and move with this world, even against the ebbing of time._"

"Is that so?"

"_Still as un-cooperative as ever. I will make this short, 'Lord Death'. I have heard that you are now training humans to act as weapons and meisters according to the ancient ways. In an attempt to keep the old balance alive while far younger magical beings like Witches, Demon-weapons and Kishin forget their place in the world, or are to young to even know it in the first place. Is all I have said true_?"

"I suppose it is."

"_You are fighting a losing battle. Time moves forward. Immortality seems a gift, but it is truly a curse, is it not? Well. In any case, remember that the Ryuu are still true neutral. Those of us even awake still maintain that we are center of the balance. I trust you will not forget this._"

"I certainly haven't. And you are also still as stiff as ever. Koku-Ryuu, you know even for us there are things in this new young world that are new and surprising? My students surprise me every day truly! The courage they can sometimes have, the ties that bind them..."

"_You sound like a doting father. Though I am curious if your statements are true or not. You have someone taking refuge in your kingdom of great value to me._"

"Really?"

"_My last-born son was taken from me by a witch. I know one of your 'meisters' is the child of that witch and the one responsible for the slaying of my last born son. Do you know the meaning of this?_"

"...I am guessing there are very few male Ryuu left alive and awake in the world. Your eggling must have been very precious to you, I am sorry to hear that."

"_I AM QUITE SURE YOU ARE! That child has DRAGON BLOOD_ _on its hands!_"

Her voice shook the room with rage. The Reaper folded his hands patiently waiting for that rage to subside.

"..."

Minutes passed, the heavy breathing echoing in the room slowed to Her normal draw.

"_I apologize, I am still feeling the pain of what has happened._"

"Understandable, Koku-Ryuu. However, I am afraid I cannot hand the snake-witches child to you that easily. What are your intentions with him? The life of a son for the life of a son?"

"_Yes, that would be the human way of thinking of it, wouldn't it? But no, I don't plan on taking the child's life. You have peaked my interest, Shinigami. I want to see if it's really true. I want to see if the Humans you have raised can surprise me. I am not asking for the lives of any of your students, just for you to allow me to test them. Especially the Snake-witches child. I want to know that it is worth My son's honorable life to spare the child of Medusa._"

"Well then, Ryuu, you have a bet. I know that no matter what you put them through, the group of my students that surrounds Crona are the most worthy you will find. You will see how they have wholly, blindly and lovingly forgiven all ills committed by an innocent soul. I think your mind will be changed. An old immortal can learn new tricks. I am the most prime example."

"_Fine then. You should know that I think you are a fool. You are still playing a game of cards while all the other Gods have long since folded their hands or simply walked away from the playing table. You are fighting a battle against age, alone_."

The light in the room began to return, the communication fading away

"Ryuu."

"_What do you want, Shinigami. I have work to attend to_."

"I have a son now too. I am sorry for your loss. I truly understand. But you will see what she sees in him soon enough."

"_Is that so._"

The light returned to the room and the crystal red eyes that had been glowing in the mirror were gone. Death silently hoped to himself that he was right. It was a huge gamble, but the problem with beings like Dragons is they were neither good nor evil. A true kind of justness. A true balance. One that it was impossible to pass judgment on.

–

Kid stared up at the mission board. Half of it had been divided off with a sign that read 'post Kishin clean-up!' with a picture of a smiling reaper-mask. One in thing in particular stood out to kid (aside from the fact that the line slanted about three inches to the left).

Kishin Clean-up Mission #19

One star Meisters

Collect all research and evidence from the witch Medusa's last laboratory

and return it for filing and protection at the D.W.M.A promptly

–

"Where's Kid?" Maka asked thoughtfully as their second class period began.

"Someone said they saw him half an hour ago trying to fix the uneven tape on the mission board..." Tsubaki replied.

"Why does that not surprise me. He's probably still at it." Liz added, nonchalantly taking a bite of her burger.

* * *

><p>Post-notes: Things are about to get even more interesting! ^_^ Hoping to bring you another chapter within the next few days. BTW since I am using anime-verse, Crona's 'little one' is a dragon. I know some may not agree with this decision but i rather liked the idea of using a dragon as a sort of god. The dragon's personality reflects my own views on what dragons are in essence. And also she uses the Japanese name for Lord Death as both a nod to the original language of the series and to denote that this particular dragon herself though a master of many languages, is Japanese in origin. ^_^ I might need to up the rating soon for a few different kinds of content so if you can no longer find it under k-t look for it under all ratings :)<p> 


	5. Thank you for the Venom

Pre-notes: Good Goddess this chapter took forever to squeeze out! and the sad part is I haven't got a clue what made it so hard to write! Its not even a major chapter in the plot-movement. Well...or rather I suppose the trouble I had with it was the fact that it's setting up for but not the meat of a major plot movement. Well anyway, here it is, Chap 5 I really hope yall like it. Fear not, i don't think the next few will be hard to write now that I have solid decisions on where to go from here. Keep reviewing, It keeps me going :) enjoy!

Thank you for the Venom

Chapter 5

Wednesday. The day of the week for standard, non-secretive missions. For average, everyday kishin egg collections in small, remote places and tasks that didn't involve infiltrations of any kind. The day when a lot of small missions were assigned, accepted and accomplished.

Lately most of those missions had been related to cleaning up the messes left after Kishin Asura's defeat. They ranged from simple repair work to recovering minions of Arachne who's souls had strayed to far to collecting items and information left behind in various enemy strongholds and hideouts.

Only a few Meisters and Weapons stayed behind on Wednesdays or "woe-days" as they had been dubbed by many students. Some of them sick or injured, some needing to catch up on homework or studying, others staying behind because all the unspoken for missions were too difficult for their skill level. This was certainly the case for Crona.

The frail, pink haired meister was clad in a thigh-length tunic-style shirt and knee-length shorts today. Over it he wore hooded jacket that fell to his mid-calf and had black and white stripped sleeves. The rest of the ensemble was solid black. Before Maka had left this morning she had taken his dress-robes to be stitched where they had become frayed and torn, but forgot to finish them in time for school. This outfit was what she had given him to suffice for the day instead. It was one of her own, and the jacket was apparently one of her favorites, which was why she rarely wore it for combat, she had explained. It was taking some getting used to, but after some time Crona warmed up to the idea of wearing something different. Though, he reasoned, he didn't have much choice. Never would he consider going to school with no clothes to wear, and without his safe, plain dress-robes he had only his pajamas.

The jacket he was warming up to quite quickly. Solid, simple tones like black and white suited him he felt. They were safe, they never changed, though he rarely wore white for the fact that it stained so easily. Especially with blood. Still, on the walk to school, Kid had seemed quite happy with it too. Crona always felt a flutter in his heart when any of his friends were happy about something that involved him. It was so new to him that it was both scary and exciting at the same time, and the mixed emotions made him dizzy, but not in a terrible way. Of course, Kid's liking of the jacket could have had to do with the fact that after counting, he had found exactly equal number of black and white stripes on both sleeves and that both had the same total number of stripes.

But the brightness had faded that day as soon as it had come. Crona stood, pawing at the sleeves of Maka's borrowed hoodie, as he stared at the board of missions known as the 'big board'. Everyone had left, and he had been staring at it for almost an hour now. He looked at each mission carefully. Most of the ones on his grade level were taken, the ones that weren't were for two and three star meisters only, and the rest of the potentially available ones were weeded out by Crona's restrictions.

It was still deemed too dangerous for Crona to pursue missions that involved strong moral decisions by himself. This was decided due to his lack of social-coping skills and moral compass, as shown by his psychological evaluations. Missions involving direct fighting in a populated area were also banned for him to take unaccompanied. He understood very well the reasons for this, as Marie had been the one to explain to him why. It still didn't make anything easier when everyone took all the 'easy' missions for themselves, like mapping and collection and recon. He heaved a deep sigh and turned away from the board at long last. There were no classes, no missions...and he didn't want to go back to Kid's house alone. At least the school was almost empty, save maybe the library where students who didn't leave today played catch-up on homework. No one around meant no one to make him feel nervous. He took to what he had always done best aside from hiding. Wandering aimlessly until something happened. The second-easiest pass-time.

–

The wind whistled in Death the Kid's ears as he sped across the desert towards the former home of the Witch Medusa. He had forgone his usual jet-powered skateboard for an equally powerful motorcycle shaped reaper-vehicle. To it was attached a small, flat bedded trailer with it's own jet for staying airborne. The whole vehicle was quite classically designed in true reaper style complete with skull embellishments and glassy black paint. The teen had checked it thoroughly for perfect balance and symmetry before agreeing to take it on today's mission, but as his father had explained, he would need a way to transport back all items and information he judged to be of importance or at very least in need of safe keeping. He would raid the witches lab and any logs she had, obtain any items remaining there and then bring the building to the ground. That was the mission he had chosen for the day.

Behind him, his weapons and partners Liz and Patti rode, sitting on the flat bed of the trailer and watching the world skim by. It had been a quiet trip so far, other than Patti's enthusiastic outbursts. Something was nagging at the back of Kid's mind, and he didn't want to admit what it was. One thought plagued his mind. A feeling of betrayal. He felt as though he should have taken Crona on this mission too. He felt wrong for leaving before Crona had a chance to even find out that he was going on a mission to raid the meister's former home. But still...

"Kid..." Liz said aloud. Having known Kid this long it wasn't hard for her to recognize his mannerisms when something was wrong and she could pretty well guess what was bothering him. "You know he's not equipped to handle this sort of thing yet..." She leaned over the front end of the trailer so her voice wasn't lost to the wind. Kid sighed.

"I know that. Or at least I know that is what the psychologists say about him. I just can't help but think everyone is underestimating him. Maybe it's because the same psychologists that Father uses to analyze Crona are the very same people he used to analyze me with many of my own...issues..." The words were almost very painful for him to say. It was always difficult to admit he had such weaknesses to cope with, but it was something that he would always understand about Crona better than any of the others. '_They don't know...what it's like to live with a mental condition_.' He reminded himself. "I begin to think that if he is never pushed and never allowed to face his own challenges that he will never have the chance to grow. I know that fighting Medusa proved to be too much for him...But I do think that having to face the ghost of her...here...would be more healthy than anyone else seemed to think." He said, voice raised slightly over the din of the small jets keeping the vehicle moving.

"But Lord Death was really against the idea...doesn't that mean anything? Maybe he's right...Crona's still barely able to handle school much less missions that could throw him into a breakdown..." Liz countered. The scenery around them was changing...desert was becoming forest and bog. Kid began to follow the flow of a river to avoid trees. After an hour of silence, the bog thinned, the forest growing more dense. Kid was forced to slow the engines and begin traveling at a much slower pace. The trees around them became warped and misshapen. Soon arrows and signs hastily tacked to the trees began to appear and the fog thickened. They were definitely in the right place. Kid estimated they were about half a mile's trek from the castle when he finally stopped the death-cycle on the edge of the largest clearing he could find and disembarked. He began pulling backpacks from a storage place under the seat as the girls disembarked too. He handed Patti hers and turned to Liz, holding hers out for her. His expression was serious.

"About what you said earlier...Tell me...do you worry about me going on missions for fear I will have a breakdown?" He paused and let it sink in. "Is it because Crona's might be a destructive breakdown? He deserves our trust. I don't know if you have ever paid attention...but I could be very dangerous too, if I broke one day. Will you distrust me too? Crona...deserves the right to deal with his own problems. You, my Father, and Maka all need to learn this." His voice was a low growl. He turned his back before he could see Liz's face. He didn't want to see her wounded expression. He hadn't meant to go off on her like that. Really it was many others, other than just her that he was upset at. He was surprised though, as she sped up to meet his pace and simply walked, silently and seriously next to him. No anger was in her wavelength. In Liz's mind, she didn't need to tell him she had realized he was right. She simply knew now that there was nothing they could do. She followed Kid, internally struggling against her own fears in the creepy bog.

–

Crona blinked against the bright light outside. After wandering around inside the school for some time he had found the door to his favorite balcony, one that even his friends didn't know much about. Only Maka had really ever followed him here. It was a small balcony towards the west end of the school on the first level and it overlooked a hill that dipped into a garden. Crona often wondered to himself who tended the garden as he rarely ever saw anyone out here. Seclusion, aloneness, it was a great place to hide that didn't get him in trouble with Maka for being anti-social. The excuse that he just liked to look at the gardens worked well most of the time.

The wind was a little crisp coming up from the garden valley below, and Crona was quite glad he always dressed so warmly. Black blood didn't always act like regular blood and kept his body temperature quite a lot lower than other meisters who tended to run hot.

He strode to the edge of the balcony and stretched, straightening out his long spine. It popped a few times and he sighed. Years of fear and insecurity had really taken a toll on his posture.

"Hi there." The voice caught Crona so off guard he let out a yelp and nearly toppled over the ornate guard rail and on to the hill below. He caught himself and with a strange sort of fluidity flipped himself around to see who on earth it might be out here where almost no-one came. His eyes met with large round child's eyes. The girl was sitting on the railing about six feet away, but in Crona's staring at the garden below he never even noticed her there. She was tiny, and must have been no older than eight Crona noticed as she pulled herself up and stood on the railing, waving at him with one gloved hand.

Crona's heart was still pounding in his chest as he stared back at her. His words were caught in his throat but his mind raced the way it often did when he was met with an unexpected interaction. It was getting better but he still wasn't used to coping with having to see new people all the time, much less them talking to him so directly.

"Helloo...I said hi there. Your a weird person." The little girl said to him. He swallowed hard and sunk a little.

"I um...i...yeah. I know..." He mustered finally. His voice trailed off as he gripped his arm and glanced sideways.

"Huh? Oh I wasn't trying to be mean! Mefune says I'm just really honest so it insults people sometimes."

'_mefune...mefune why did that name sound so familiar...couldn't be..._'

"A-a...are you the witch A...Angela?" Crona stammered, taking a scuffling step backwards, away from her. He had heard about the debacle with Angela and Mefune in passing from Black Star.

"Why, yes I am! You got a problem with that?" The little girl was suddenly defensive. She balled her small gloved hands into fists and wheeled around to face Crona. She stuck her chin out and put her bravest face on. Suddenly Crona felt a little guilty about his reaction.

"I um! I...its just...I don't deal with w...witches very well and um...I'm sorry...I just..." His emotions were a mess now. He was completely confused as to how to react. On one hand, he was afraid of her because she was a witch, on the other she was just a little kid and obviously used to being bullied, probably by misled meisters like Black Star who tried to make a target out of her. Much to Crona's relief she only glared at him for a moment, studying him and trying to read his face and then sighed and plopped herself down so that she was sitting on the railing now, facing him. He let his own sigh out and relaxed a little.

"Fine, okay. So why? I mean, I guess it's pretty normal around here. Mefune said a lot of people would probably hate me. That's why he wanted me to stay out here while he talks to Lord Death about some stuff. It's safer today since a lot of you meisters are on quests or something. But why are you so afraid of me? What's your name anyway, weird-kid?"

"Not that...i mean...my name isn't weird kid...i...its Crona..." It was hauntingly similar to talking to his own shadow. It made sense though, since she was a child too. She leveled her strange, purple eyes on him. In fact, he could see similarities in her eyes that he saw in his own. Witch's eyes. He hadn't ever really noticed because aside from the color he had his mother's eyes. But now that he saw that Angela's were similar too, he guessed it must be a witch blood thing. She was staring at him, waiting.

"Its because he got the crap beat out of him when he was just a little brat by a witch that was his mother too." A gravelly voice seemed to come from no-one that could be seen. There was a sickening sound of fluid moving and a moment later Ragnarok appeared his usual way, from Crona's back. The black demon rested himself on Crona's pink head. The meister looked up at his partner with a pout on his lips, but said nothing. Instead he turned his gaze back to Angela who was silent.

"R..Ragnarok I think you scared her how mean!" Crona shot, glancing up again.

"So what? Scaring kids is fun! I used to scare you all the time."

"You scared me 'cause I didn't know how to deal with someone coming out of me all the time! Because _she_ put you in me with no way of getting you out! And because it used to hurt when you came out!"

"Hurt you maybe, it's like getting to stretch my back out after being in a box for forever. Anyway what does it matter if I scar-"

"That's not it." Angela said finally, her gaze glued to the cobblestone below her dangling feet.

"Huh?" Crona was startled out of his impending argument with his weapon partner.

"Its just...I'm sorry." She said. Her voice was quivering.

"Wait, what? Why the hell are you apologizing to stupid Crona for?"

"Ragnarok!"

"I'm sorry...that a witch hurt you. It shouldn't be like that. I don't know much about being a witch. I have gone to a few masses but I still don't really understand it. I met the witch you are talking about, now I remember that I have seen you before. Only you looked different." She paused and took a deep breath, kicking her shoes together as she tried to formulate her thoughts. "Witches have gone through a lot and a lot of people have hurt us but...that doesn't mean we should hurt other people for no good reason. Mefune tells me that...being a witch is no excuse for hurting people, especially kids. So...I'm sorry. I apologize for her."

'_no one...has ever apologized to us...for what Medusa did. Maybe I was the one being wrong this time. I wanted to judge this little girl for what people like her have done. The same way people want to judge us for what people like me and ragnarok have done..._' Crona thought to himself as he stared, shocked, at the child in front of him. This tot who had just shown more wisdom than someone her age should know. Crona mumbled something barely audible.

"Hmm?" Angela replied, unable to understand what he had said.

"Th...thank you..." He said, a very tiny awkward smile inching its way onto his lips.

"Yeah, yeah...cute. Adorable! Whatever...I'm so bored and I'm about to be sick to our stomach...can we move on from the mush already? Its bad enough I have to deal with Crona's girl-side whenever Maka's around!"

"Ragnarok, don't talk abou-" Crona began but was interrupted.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" Ragnarok said, his voice getting just a little louder in order to drown out Crona's protests. He pushed his meister's head down so he could lean in towards Angela. Now Crona was sure, Ragnarok was just trying to be as annoying as possible.

"Mefune is going to work here... I guess that him and Lord Death are going over new rules about how witches are treated by the DWMA. Its probably because of me. There are things I wont be allowed to do any more but its better than Mefune always having to fight because of me."

"That's actually pretty cool, huh Ragnarok?" Crona said, trying to push his weapon back so he wasn't bent double any more. He was pushed down again as Ragnarok laughed. Instead Crona craned his neck so he could see his weapon. In a moment his face turned from mild, bored annoyance to sheer terror and he let out a high squeak and promptly fell over.

"What the fuck Crona! Your crushing me...get off! What's gotten into you? Hey! You! Get him offa me..." Ragnarok was pinned against the cobblestone as he wriggled and protested. He noticed that whatever was making Crona unable to get up also had Angela transfixed. They were both staring at the sky in horror. Finally the demon-blade turned to look in the direction they were looking.

There, against the cloudless sky, two objects were flying right towards them. After just a couple of moments they objects were much closer and much clearer. They were two people, flying towards the DWMA at a breakneck pace. They were both wearing dresses, both had wings, one black and feathered set and one that buzzed like and insects. As their clothes because more visible their identity became apparent.

"W..W...w...witches!" Crona squeak, fumbling over Ragnarok's pinned form to try and get to his feet. He scrambled to the other side of the balcony towards the door but it was too late. The two were already coming to land on the edge of the balcony. The one with feathered wings wore all black and stood a head or so taller than the other. She wore a hat with the face of a crow on it and in her hand a staff tipped with curled wings glowed a dangerous purple color. The other was short and squat with huge insect wings that folded neatly under her shell-like cloak. Her front was clothed in orange and black stripped skirts and shirt, and two round caps on either side of her head resembled the eyes of a beetle. She had a short dagger in each hand that mimicked pincers.

"Corvus? And...Lu..lucanus? What are you doing here?" Angela asked. It was obvious she didn't know the two witches well as she stumbled over their names.

"We've come to take you home. Angela, you shouldn't be here. You should come with us. A witch needs to raise you not some stupid oaf like Death." Corvus said, shooting a glare at the building next to them.

"We've been passing through with our soul protect on from time to time since our flight isn't magic, just waiting for you to be free enough to save." The other, Lucanus added. Her voice was thin and nasally as she spoke.

"But I don't want to go...Mefune said..."

"That samurai is a faithful minion but he is no substitute for a witch-mother. You should be with us, where you can learn to be a good witch." The Raven-witch said, trying her best to sound kind, as she took a step forward. The move caused Angela to take a step back, towards Crona.

"I'm not going." She said, balling her fists and screwing her eyebrows together, She tried to look as tough as she could, ready to fight to stay with Mefune.

"Angela...be a good girl and come along? You want to make the rest of the witches proud don't you? You will make a fine witch, you don't have to be afraid...Don't you want to learn your magic and be strong and powerful?" With each word the witch was inching closer, backing Angela against the wall. For all her bravery Angela's face betrayed her fear as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"I don't want to go! I'm tired of moving around, and I'm tired of people using me to get Mefune to fight...I'm tired of people telling me what to do!" She shouted, tears leaking down the sides of her face now.

"C'mon now..." The raven-witch began to growl "Just...be...a good little...brat" She moved forward again. "and come wi-"

"Enough!" It was Crona's cracking voice that halted her in her tracks. He staggered forward, brow furrowed, and placed himself in front of Angela and between her and the witch. Ragnarok glared intensely over his head. "She said she didn't want to go...now leave." He had finally snapped...the sound of that voice, that manipulative growl...it reminded him of _her_.

_'just be a good boy! Don't you want to make me proud? Just do what I say!'_

"Who the hell are you kid?" Corvus snapped, her face distorting into one of annoyance and rage. Lucanus hobbled over to her quickly and whispered something in her ear. "Medusa's? You... Your Medusa's failed experiment? The minion that wasn't. We thought you died. Guess Death decided to keep you as a pet too?"

"You're wrong." Crona snapped, taking a brave step towards the witch. He was afraid, cold with fear, but also with rage, protectiveness. If Lord Death forgave him and gave him a safe home, then he was doing the same for Angela too, and there was no way he was going to let these manipulative creatures take her...and turn her into what Medusa had turned him into. Angela still had innocence in her eyes. Innocence Crona could only guess he had once had. There was no way he was going to let them take that from her. He had decided today that not all witches were bad...but these two...the look in their eyes...He wouldn't let them have her. "Lord Death tries hard...and he admits it when he's wrong. He is admitting right n..now that he was wrong about all witches being bad. He's letting Angela and Ragnarok and Me stay here, too. He's trying to do the right thing. You need to leave. You can't be here if you want to take Angela away against her will!"

"Luci, Now! Strike it now!" Corvus shouted. Crona had been so focused on the Raven-witch he hadn't even noticed the other one was at his left before the pincher-shaped blade caught him clean on the side. The pain, however, signaled Ragnarok to control the blood immediately. The blade stopped and slid across as if it were sliding against glass. Lucanus jumped back with surprising agility. Crona turned, trying to face both witches at once.

"I said leave! I don't want to hurt you...but I wont let you turn Angela into a monster like me! Leave..." Crona said, hand held out to his side in warning. The Beetle-witch turned to her companion.

"We have our orders. We have to bring the girl back or she will have our jobs and our heads. It cant be helped..." She rasped. Both witches advanced on Crona at once.

"I warned you..." He uttered in a weak voice. In his mind he didn't want to fight them. He didn't like how close he got to the madness when he used that much of the powerful black blood that coursed through his body. It was too close...even now. But he did his best to quiet it, to focus on the moment so he wouldn't slip into the black pool of his mind. Ragnarok's weapon form materialized in his hand almost instantly and he swung with unnaturally fluid grace. His blade was caught by the pincher-blade of Lucanus and thrown backwards. He used the motion to bring a full swing back around towards Corvus but she leaped upwards. Both were steadily moving closed to Angela who was now huddled behind Crona, tears in her large eyes.

"Crona!" It was Maka's voice that broke his focus... He glanced away for only a second, but in a flash of feathers and a buzz of wings, the witches were gone, and with a scream so was Angela.

Crona watched them fly towards the sky only a little slower than when they had come. He looked at Maka, who looked horrified as she pieced together what had just happened. She was rough, just coming back from a difficult mission of scattering one of the last pockets of Arachne's remaining forces who apparently didn't know the war was already over. She was bruised and dirty and Crona guessed she had sensed his frantic wavelength the moment she set foot back in death city.

"I'm sorry Maka...I'll explain later...I have to go after her." He said, giving her a look of mixed sorrow, fear and determination.

"How can you they flew awa...Crona no it's too dangerous, the black blood!" Maka called out, but it came too late. Crona was already in the air. He cringed as he felt the tissues in his thin back being pulled by the sheer force of the wings. Ragnarok's special form...the one people called the black dragon. The weapon's arms became huge black wings, his neck and face stretched dangerously out in front and all his teeth showed in a hungry smile. White flashed before Crona's eyes...this hurt so much he wanted to pass out. He could feel every cell of blood in his veins icy and painful. His vision blurred...Ragnarok's black blood...the madness...the witches...but they were catching up to them. They sky battle began. Crona felt the cold creep of madness taking control of his mind, forcing his conscious self into the empty void...He gave one last plea.

"We have to save Angela...and not lose control..." He said aloud. Ragnarok roared, the only noise he could make in this form. In his wavelength Crona could almost hear him though.

'_no duh shithead. You don't lose control dummy...I'll kill the bird and beetle and eat their souls!_'


	6. Hide and Seek

Author's notes:

Making this quick because I have unstable internet atm. New edit, messed up and loaded the wrong chapter! if you started reading tonight the night of upload please re-read it has all the corrections made now O_o Sorry for the confusion, and I still dont own. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Hide and Seek

The entryway to Medusa's castle was a dark, twisted representation of what was probably once a beautiful place. Unpainted stone pillars ran from floor to ceiling, towering up everywhere around Kid, Liz and Patti. They made there way through, inspecting the room for anything that could need to be collected.

"More than likely she wouldn't keep anything important here where just anyone could walk in and take it. We'll check every corner anyway, but we should make it quick, there is a lot more to this place I suspect." Kid said aloud, sweeping the lantern's light from one side to the other. Liz nodded slowly.

"This place is really creepy...Kid why do you always pick the missions to the dark and creepy places? Why can't we take a mission that is on a nice, sunny island for once?" She said, repressing a deep shudder.

"It's so BIG" Patti shouted, her voice echoing off of every wall. Something above them rumbled, causing all three to pause for a moment, breath held. Kid exhaled finally when nothing fell.

"Patti this place is pretty unstable, you should watch your voice." Liz said, trying to relax after the scare. Kid, however was staring above them. The tops of the pillars seemed to form platforms high in the center of the room. He glanced at Liz, silently conveying that the upper level was most likely where they needed to be. Liz looked at Patti, and the message was clear. Find the stairs. It was amazing to Liz how the three of them didn't always need to speak to understand each other. Their connection was strong enough that explaining things when it was just the three of them just wasn't always necessary.

–

Crona felt the wind whistle past his face as Ragnarok's powerful wings carried them. He watched things happen like it were on a movie screen, the edges of his vision black and blurry, tunneling in and out. This is how it felt to fight the madness caused by non-human blood coursing through his body, through his brain. He had never bit it back so hard. Ever since coming to the DWMA he had avoided fighting hard because the harder his heart beat, the harder the black blood pushed through his brain like a toxin. The more worked up he got the less real the real world seemed. The less logic seemed to work. The more the hallucinations brought on by this black intoxication fought their way into his vision. A flash of white as they collided with their target, Ragnarok silently beckoning him to lash out at the bug witch since she wasn't carrying Angela. In a sickening splash the form of Ragnarok's head disappeared, sinking into Crona's body and flowing back out through his palm. The sword with the mouth in his hand. Ragnarok's wings still remained sprung from Crona's back. His arm swung almost of it's own accord, narrowly missing the witch who was agile in the sky despite her round shape. The sight came in flashes.

"Scream resonance..." Crona heard his own voice utter. Deafening ringing from Ragnarok's inhuman voice vibrated through the air. The Crow-witch jolted, dropping a few feet in her flight. Immediately Lucanus spun, determined to silence the weapon's screaming. She redirected, folding her head down and holding her twin daggers out to the front. One huge sweep of the black wings and Crona was above her, pushing off from her shell. The wings folded in as he front-flipped and used the force of gravity from falling to bring him downward. He clipped her ankle with the tip of the sword and they both began tumbling towards the ground. Lucanus' wings fluttered frantically, but Ragnarok was faster. He unfurled his wings and was caught immediately like a parachute. One pump and he was ascending again. The bones in Crona's back ground against the weight, his heart racing. His vision faded and flashed back in under the strain.

'_No...I won't let this...I'll stay awake...Think about things. It's good that I don't weigh much or this would hurt a lot more. Everyone says I'm skinny...but it's because there's more than one person in me. Two bodies...two souls. Three...but her's and mine are wrapped up in each other...It must take a lot of energy. I'm so tired...even now. But NO...I will stay awake. We are getting close to her now...the one that looks like a bird...She has Angela...I can just see her through the black. My head hurts...I want to go to sleep so badly but I can't...why can't I?_'

'_Crona, idiot stay with me. You're the one who wanted to stay awake this time so you don't get all batty and start killing everybody!_' It was Ragnarok's voice, or rather his soul...maybe.

'_Is killing people bad? It's not okay to kill now, right? Did Medusa tell us not to?_' Crona's thoughts were strained, distant. Ragnarok could feel his conscious ebbing away.

_'Maka said it was bad or don't you remember! Crona, come on, Crona, stay with me...Swing!'_ Crona swung his arm impulsively at the order. He could feel that it connected with something...the bug-witch. He had hit her, but not too deeply. It was hard to get a lot of swing in the air, nothing to push against. Still, she was hurt now, her flying sporadic. Angela was getting further away now. Ragnarok's wings beat hard, pushing another wave of pain through Crona's frail body. He screwed his eyes shut.

'_OPEN your EYES fucker!'_ Screamed out across his mind. He obeyed, but it was fleeting.

'_I'm so tired Ragnarok...I just wanna let it take over now..._'

A feeling almost like a frustrated sigh.

'_Listen to me very closely and try to keep your eyes open. Obviously yelling is doing nothing and I can't hit you when we are flying so just _LISTEN _okay_?'

_'….okay'_ The world was fading, but he clung to the resonance of Ragnarok's powerful soul. It was the one thing no-one understood about them. Maybe some of the others thought Ragnarok was just a nuisance to Crona...but when it came down to it...he was strong, and Crona was not strong that way. And Ragnarok grounded him, inside where he needed it the most. Someone to cling to, someone who stood out in the darkness and madness. As crazy and Ragnarok was, the madness didn't effect him. He was the same, no matter what. Simple, childish Ragnarok. When it came down to times like this.

'_Medusa is dead Crona. She is dead. You listen to Maka now. Because you like her. She makes you happy. She gives you things. I listen to Maka too, sometimes, because she gives me things. She is worth more than Medusa was. She gives us more things. So Maka says not to kill. If we want to keep all this cool stuff like a place to live and food and not getting the crap kicked out of us or locked up every day or two, we have to listen to her. You love Maka. So open your eyes and focus on the fight before you fly us into a fucking mountain. I can only do so much when you are taking half the control. I will try and ease the black blood flow in your brain...now...Open your EYES!_'

Crona's eyes snapped open, his vision was clearer. He could see. They were right on her tail. His thoughts broke through the fog and he swung, not impulsively this time, but purposefully. He swung, connected...

But now Angela was plummeting towards the ground...

–

Kid, Liz and Patti had made it to the upper level to find that it was on the verge of falling apart completely. All of the mis-matched platforms and pillar-tops, while square, were completely a-symmetrical and nearly gave the young reaper an aneurism, so they had had to move on quickly. Into another hallway and to a large, wooden double-door. It was locked but no match for Patti's forceful gunshots. In minutes the door was pulverized, revealing another long hallway. The end of it was a smaller, much less important-looking door, but one with multiple locks, chains and seals locking it closed. Kid looked at Patti, who nodded, then at Liz, who did the same.

"I think this is what we have been looking for. Witches and scientist are all about Grandeur, but their greatest secrets they keep in plain looking rooms under lock and key." He stated simply as they approached the door.

It took several minutes to undo the first few locks. Kid reached for the seal to tear it away and stopped, his hand inches from it. His golden eyes widened.

"There is still Magic here. Liz, weapon form, Patti, a few feet back please..." He said as Liz transformed. He tossed her into Patti's hands. He knew it would be better for the impulsively brave Patti to wield a frightened Liz more than anything. He reached again for the seal that laid across the door like caution tape, a language he didn't know scrawled across it. And arrows...He was so tired of seeing arrows they made him sick. He grasped the seal and tore. Nothing. Silence. He breathed out and pushed on the door.

There was a rush of wind and the room flooded black, snakes that were almost made of shadows slithered from every corner of the cracked door across the walls, ceiling and floor of the hallway. Kid jumped back with a gasp, narrowly avoiding being bitten.

"Patti!" He shouted, and she immediately began to shoot, firing at the pitch black sea of snakes forming around them. She fired again and again but they closed in.

"Damn it." Kid swore. He pushed off from the last remaining bit of solid ground, rebounded off the wall and landed in front of Patti. He internally chided himself for not realizing that there would be such a dangerous trap. He could only guess that one bite from these spirit-snakes could be lethal to even him. The each held a tiny speck of witch's soul. Medusa's malice was rank in their tiny souls. He drew out his own soul wavelength and channeled it, black flames in the form of hundreds of skulls poured from his hands, attacking the snakes one by one. He stood protectively in front of Patti until the hallway was clear. Another moment or two and he sank to his knees.

"Kid? Are you okay?" Patti asked immediately, dropping to his side with concern written on her child-like features. Kid was breathing heavily, but already starting to get back to his feet.

"I am alright...it just takes a lot out of me." He rasped, dusting himself off and heading cautiously for the doorway. Patti followed, Liz in weapon form still clasped in her hand.

"That was a new attack huh Kid?" She asked. All worry had faded from her voice. She was very quick to recover from most things, even though Liz's soul wavelength was still shuttering violently from the fear.

"Not really...Just one that I'm still not quite strong enough to use without collapsing afterward. Not much use in a long fight." He stated. He fiddled through pockets in his pants and coat until he found a book of matches. He opened it and stared for a moment, counting...an uneven number. That would make things easy. He selected the one from the very center and lit it, leaving the pack still even and symmetrical. He quickly found an oil lamp and touched the match to it. The room was dusty in places where books that hadn't been read in ages sat, and clean in one are that looked much more like a chemist's lab than a witches lair. One shelf was full of books with dates scrawled on the sides...they were hand-written and bound and Kid guessed they must be logs. Another set of high shelves held samples...some in boxes and some in jars. A few small animals had died in their cages from lack of care but it was obvious they had been kept alive when Medusa was conducting her experiments from here, probably before the first time they thought that she had been killed.

Some of the lab was in disarray, books and papers scattered over a large desk. Research notes on possession or bodies and how to maintain them were the most prominent. Others were notes on knowledge of Magic Tools. Everything Medusa had been working on in the final days.

Kid moved on to another shelf. Scales, strange black scales lay upon it. He ran a delicate fingertip over them. They gave off a strange, cold, familiar sense. black stains spattered the shelf, and vials, burners...next to it what looked like a forge...all spattered with black stains.

He turned again on this corner of the lab and he stopped dead in his tracks. Before him was a massive hole that he hadn't even noticed when he walked in. Inside something was breathing...he could just make out the outline of it. For some reason the lamp-light didn't seem to reach inside the gaping hole. He opened his mouth to speak but he was held fast on the spot, his voice wouldn't work. His mind panicked. The creature began to move. Here and there the shining flash of glassy black coils moved. His heart throbbed, coldness creeping it's way into his limbs. He was frozen, barely able to move and transfixed on the spot. What he could only guess was a giant serpent raised it's head...another trap?

'_Child of a God...Reaper's heir, Son of Death. I see you._' The words weren't spoken as the creature's garnet eyes bore into him, just visible in the darkness. 'a_nd I know you, though we have never met. I know you because it is the nature of a God to know another God. I want to know how you care for your dear companions. I know you cannot answer me. You will show me in time...how you care for the child of the snake-witch. How do you care for this child? Is it deeply? You will be tested. You and all who claim to care for the child Crona. And Crona theirself as well will be tested. Prove me wrong, Reaper-son, Heir to the Thrown of the God Death_.'

"Kid? Kid! Hey! Space-case...quit staring at the wall and come over here!" Liz's voice broke him from whatever hold he was under. He turned immediately to look at her, concerned she too might be frozen by whatever that...thing...was.

"Liz the..." He began, turning around to point at the serpent that had spoken to him, but it was gone. Or rather, there was really no hole in the wall. Just a large, stone wall. Blank, with nothing on it but slick, reflective stone. Had it all been an illusion? A spell.

"What, Kid? You really need to look at this...this log from 16 years ago...it talks about Crona...I can't understand it all, but it definitely says his name." Liz pointed to a dusty book in her hand. Kid tried to shake the feeling from his strange vision and made his way across the room. Liz handed him to book and he took it, closing it and then opening it to the first page. The sisters were watching him intently. He looked back at the book. It was written in an old script, Latin he figured out after a moment, which was not uncommon for Witches to use, but also not uncommon for individuals close to the Reaper family to learn as well for just such occasions. He started to follow the words on the page.

"Medusa's Logs:

Esoteric Calender year 3424, Month of Fire, 12th day:

I have managed to capture a male with considerable strength. Seducing him was no difficulty, but we will soon see if he can give me what I need. It has been two tries so far, I think the most recent might have stuck. When I know for sure my experiment will begin. My theory is sound, and my aim is to test the limit's of my witch's body in producing a perfect and powerful servant-child.

Esoteric Calender year 3424, Month of Fire, 23rd day:

I was correct about the conception. I have disposed of the male specimen that I used. He showed signs of parental attachment that that could be a danger to the experiment's success. It will be easier to bring the child into servitude if it believes only I exist.

Esoteric Calender year 3424, Month of Chaos, 8th day:

The snakes have told me that there are going to be two embryos developing. This changes my experiment but not by much. I have recalculated my goal. Now I will test the strength of combining twins born, one witch one meister. I will expedition to the Nordic mountains to obtain the demon sword Ragnarok for my future meister-born."

Esoteric Calender year 3424, Month of Animals, 31st day:

The expedition was almost a perfect success, but I retained some moderate injuries. It is no matter. I will be appearing before the Witch's council today to present my theories on the revival of Kishin magic.

Esoteric Calender year 3424, Month of Rain, 1st day:

The council was not happy about my ideas. They can all rot in hell. I have decided to proceed with the experiment full force. I have obtained a copy of the Tome of Witch's Birthrights from the witch's library keeping while visiting for the mass. The information contained will certainly tell me how to produce the right sex of twins needed for my experiment. I need one to be a female, must be kept at 64 of flame temperature like my own natural temperature, the other in order to be male must be kept at a much lower, 52 of flame temperature. I will use an internal snake spell to accomplish this. If this experiment is a success, at the end of it I will have one witch twin born, and the male twin will be a powerful meister, able to wield Ragnarok. The demon sword has been kept under lock and chain. I am slowly working his mind into madness. If this happens, he should forget everything he knows of his past incarnations. When that is complete, I will melt him down, mix him with my Black Blood creation and swap this for the male child's blood, forcing him to wield Ragnarok from inside his body, this should also make him impervious to most attacks as a sentient being will be able to completely control his blood flow.

Kid paused, taking a deep breath. '_So Crona must have once had a sister...then why...maybe she was killed, that could be one of the multiple causes for his neurosis.._.'

Esoteric Calender year 3425, Month of Moon, 1st day:

I am very near to giving birth to my creations...I can feel two souls inside my body, they are very close together but I am not concerned. If they are close in the womb they will be bonded in life. At very least, they will keep each other from dying when they carry out my wishes.. They are developing well from what I can see of their tiny little spirits. Those spirits must grow, though. I am growing impatient, but one month from now, I will induce my own labor and produce two perfect future servants. I have a plan for conditioning their minds."

Kid's brow furrowed. He was a fast reader, and it had only taken him a minute or two to read this far, but the next passage he read two or three times to make sure it was right...He read three more entries and snapped the book shut. His expression was very serious as he looked back at his partners.

"Come on. Start gathering all you can carry in your backpacks this moment. We need to get as much in one load as possible, return to gather the rest. We will take everything but the furniture with is. All the items in this room are much too dangerous to leave for anyone to find." He told them. His voice was crisp, barking the words like an order. Liz gave him a look of shock before silently obeying. He must have read something that was bothering him immensely to use such a formal tone.

–

Crona was nearly torn in two. On one hand, there was a nearly dead witch just keeping herself in the air by sheer will. She had dropped her soul protect and now was floating nearly by magic. Madness whispered in Crona's mind to feed her soul to Ragnarok, and make him stronger. It was definitely okay to eat witch's souls by DWMA standards, and this one definitely had an evil soul. But she was above, and Angela was falling fast beneath him. Time slowed down, or Crona's thoughts were fast perhaps. He knew in his mind what he needed to do...but desire was a different thing. Once it was okay to do such things. Once it was rewarded when he was cold, cruel. Once it was they only way he wasn't punished. All his instincts told him to fly up, finish her off, feed Ragnarok her soul, and Crona could feel Ragnarok wanting it too...not to let her escape.

'_Your call, brat. I'll go with it._' He could feel Ragnarok tell him.

_'I...why am I in control...i...am in control. It's my choice...'_ His mind snapped, he suddenly remembered where he was, what he needed to do. He willed the wings of blood to close, he angled his body to plummet after Angela. Time sped back up to normal...it seemed to move faster than it should. The wind rushed by, deafening him. He and Ragnarok in perfect resonance and the ground getting closer and closer...And then they were on her. Crona wrapped his frail arms around the tiny form of the young witch, then folded his body over her. They had too much velocity to catch wind and fly, unfurling the wings would tear away half of Ragnarok's body from him and consequently half of Crona's blood. He was vaguely aware of falling past someone else in the air that was speeding towards them...it looked like Kid, Maka clinging to his waist. He rolled to his back and saw a flash of the bottom of Kid's skate-board pass overhead and gunfire, the witches that had tried to take Angela flying away. Then, blackness enclosed him. Ragnarok's wings closed around him curled protectively around the shaking child. And then impact into the desert sand.

–

"Crona!" It was Maka's voice...distant. Crona was vaguely aware of how often his friend screamed his name with that 'please don't be dead' tone of her's. Pain shot through every part of him and he could barely breath. His eyes wouldn't open and he felt like passing out. He felt hands puling him upward, out of a big pile of something gritty. Sand...he suddenly remembered falling and watching Kid and Maka pass over him on a skateboard...Kid shooting at the sky. Something was thundering in his head and then stopped...Soul's motorcycle, probably. He was sure he was alive, but he wasn't quite sure if he was glad. He hurt everywhere, worse than he had in a long time. A weight that had been pressing on his lungs lifted. He heard crying...a little girl. He willed his eyes to open against the brightness of the sun.

"Come here...it's okay...it's okay..." It was Maka...she was holding Angela, tears falling down both of their faces. Crona coughed. He was laying on his back, in the sand near a large indent he must have made when he impacted. Ragnarok was focused out somewhere inside, concentrating on just keeping the blood flowing to Crona's heart. Crona tried to speak but his mouth was full of sand. His eyes burned with it and he tried to blink all the grains out. Kid's cold fingertips were helping wipe the sand from Crona's pale face.

"Crona, you alright? That was quite a fall." He asked seriously. Crona responded with several coughs as he tried to sit up. Everything hurt so badly...

"Y..ye..yes..." another cough. He looked up at the bright sky. "Th..the witches?" He muttered.

"Gone, but not dead. They wont be back for a while though, now that we know they are trying to take Angela they wont be stupid enough to try again soon. At least not here. Can you stand? Soul...help me with...him." Kid said, pausing as he helped Crona to his feet. He had hesitated at the last word, and Crona felt a jolt at the pit of his stomach...why had Kid hesitated at the word...there was no way he could...

"Come on buddy...we gotcha. Can't let anything happen to you...Maka wouldn't make it without you." Soul was suddenly on his other side. Between the two they had him on the back of the motorbike in moments. A few words were exchanged and Maka handed Angela off to Kid and then climbed onto the bike behind Crona. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed her face into his back, taking a deep breath. Crona was too tired to even blush, and instead just put his hands over hers and let himself relax into her arms. He was hurting, and too tired to worry about much. He vaguely heard Kid's voice as Soul mounted in front of him and started the engine.

"Take Crona to Stein and have him give the okay to take Crona home. Then I'll meet you at my house. I have to debrief with Father." He said, placing Angela behind him on the skateboard so she could hold on to his legs. He took off with Liz and Patti still in weapon-form. One the way back to the Academy Crona noticed just how far they had flown...almost to the mountains. He glanced over one shoulder with half-lidded eyes and looked at them, the mountains in the distance. He watched as he drifted off, lulled by they purr of the motor. He couldn't quite remember if he was dreaming when he saw it...The dragon...a black dragon. Not like Ragnarok's dragon shape...this one was long, like a huge coiling snake only it moved different as it took flight...but then, he might have been dreaming.

–

When Crona finally woke up, it was the middle of the night. His head was fuzzy and for a moment he didn't recognize where he was at. He heard soft breathing above him and turned very slowly. His breath hitched as every muscle screamed out at him in pain at the first few movements. He pushed past it. It was dark, definitely night time. And quiet, so it he assumed it must be pretty late. He continued to turn until he was laying on his back. His head was resting on something very warm. He peered up in the dim light to find out that he was laying with his head on Maka's lap. Maka, who was propped against the wall with one of his pillows behind her back, was fast asleep with her fingers still twisted around his hair. She must have been sitting with him the whole time he was passed out and simply fallen asleep when she got too tired. She was still in her day clothes, and looked a little worse for wear.

He inched himself into a sitting position, glad to find as the blankets fell off of him that he too was still in his day clothes. He turned carefully and decided to lay Maka down. He hooked his right arm under her shoulders and blushed a little as he placed his left under her knees. He glanced down and noticed that she was wearing her usual short skirt and it was sliding up her legs as he slid her down. He paused, concentrated on Maka's face and blushed harder. He slid her carefully and delicately into a laying position and pulled the blankets up over her, eyes glued to the wall to keep himself from looking down. He let out a sigh and stood from the bed. His bare feet hit cold floor and he shivered. Someone had managed to get his shoes off, which he was thankful for. Sleeping in shoes would be really uncomfortable he guessed. He padded to his dresser and shuffled around in it for a moment. It wasn't hard to locate his pajamas since they were the only other article of clothing that he owned. He glanced back at his friend, who was sleeping soundly and looking quite a lot more content now that she was laying down. She was turned towards him, her face soft with sleep, her mouth open just a little as she breathed. He blushed. She was such a pretty girl, he wondered why she didn't see it. She wasn't like him, visible dark lines under his eyes, worry-sunken cheeks, stringy hair unkempt from never really learning how to keep his hair well. She was pretty, genuinely, softly pretty. He stared at her face, trying to make out in the low light of his night-lamp whether or not her eyes were open for sure, but decided not to risk it and stepped into his closet. It was small and cramped, but he closed the door behind him and fumbled for the light. He changed, hanging up his borrowed clothes and slipping into his pajamas. They were simple, a pare of striped, loose-fitting satin pants and a long satin button-down. He switched the light off and stepped back out into the room. Only now he wasn't tired. He needed to stretch his muscles or he would be so stiff in the morning he wouldn't be able to move. And aside from that...he was thirsty.

–

Death the Kid sat at his kitchen table, staring at the book. The starting date scrawled on the side was from about sixteen years ago. Kid glared at it as if he could set it on fire in his mind. This book was tormenting him. He felt dirty for reading it. Wrong for being so curious he would delve into the history of another before that person probably even knew all of it themselves. Still, he knew he had done the right thing in keeping it.

"_Father, I have brought you all the things of importance from Medusa's Laboratory and castle. All her experiment logs, many of her tools and all of her research materials. All we left behind was a crumbling building, some bookshelves and an old kiln. The location has been hazard marked and made inaccessible as per my mission." _

"_And?"_

"…"

"_Well, I feel like there is something else you came to tell me, other than that you did a good job. Usually you just tell me the mission is done and I congratulate you. What is it, son?"_

"_There is one of the Witch Medusa's logs I will not turn over to you."_

"_Hmm? And why might that be?"_

_A downward glance, unable to meet his eyes right now. "I think Crona should have it. It's about...the past. The experiments that were done. I don't think it's right to keep that away when it could be so much help to...him."_

"_So I take it you read this book, right?"_

"_Yes. I shouldn't have, but I did. Now I know more about Crona than Crona does about himself. Its unfair and I think the right thing to do is give it to him."_

"_..."_

"_I know that you are going to say that Crona is not ready to cope with such things, but I live with him, Father. My knowledge of him on a day-to-day basis should be weighed too. He wont ever learn to deal with anything if he isn't allowed to. His restrictions are too high and he's being suffocated by them. He should have been able to come with me and the girls to collect these items. I know it would have been difficult, but it would have been healthy too. For years I refused to deal with the world outside my box, but if I had never been allowed to...no forced to go outside that box, I wouldn't have met Liz and Patti and I wouldn't be the same. I am dangerous too, but no-one holds me back because you are my father. And they do hold Crona back because Medusa is his mother. But I am not you. And he _is not_ her! I feel wrong for reading the book. But it would be wrong to keep it from him."_

"_My son, my son...slow down...I never said I disagreed. I think, that if you think it is the morally right thing to do, then you should do it. You don't need my permission to make decisions in your best judgment. You will have to make a lot of them one day. Starting now is a good time. I'm proud of you, Kid. Just one thing though."_

"_What is it?"_

"_You have to be honest with Crona. About the fact that you read the book."_

"_Of course."_

–

Of course it went without saying that Kid would need to tell Crona that he knew everything. He would need to tell...

"Kid? I um...I didn't know you would be up. Thank you...all of you...f..for today." Crona stuttered as he paused in the kitchen doorway. Kid looked up from the book, his eyes wide. He definitely hadn't expected to have to face this tonight. He hadn't even made a plan of how to approach the subject and now, here was Crona. Kid was completely off guard, sitting at his kitchen table, mug of hot chocolate in one hand and the other on his forehead, dressed in a simple pair of shorts and tee-shirt.

"Crona...Shouldn't you be resting? Is Maka still..."

"She's asleep..." He responded, leaning his head to one side and glancing at the stairwell behind him. "C..can I..."

"Of course, come in...sit down. Couldn't sleep anymore? Can't say I blame you, you passed out around six after everything." He responded immediately. He was certain it was obvious he was flustered. But to know so many secrets about the very person he had spent so much time with that they had become part of his household routine...how could he not be. He chided himself to remain calm. This was still the same Crona. But would he still be the same Crona once he had the hell he was put through confirmed?

"Th...thanks." Crona responded. Kid was far too used to him being this shy to be surprised and how he just edged carefully into the kitchen and sat down quickly. He let out a very short giggle which surprised the Reaper across from him. "I'll sit here...so that the table is balanced. Is that right?" Kid stared at him a moment, shocked.

"I...thank you." He said, unable to keep the surprise from his voice. Crona didn't seem to notice. He just brought his knees to his chest on the front of the wooden chair.

"How's Angela?" Crona asked finally.

"She's doing just fine...you and Ragnarok saved her when you took the impact instead. Aside from being frightened she wasn't hurt at all, not even a bruise." Kid responded.

"That's good...I almost lost control but...I didn't. Ragnarok talked me through it. He kept me from slipping up."

"That's a really good step...Crona...I can't hold it in anymore. There is something I need to tell you...well, to give you. Please hear me out...I don't want you to be hurt..." Kid began, taking a deep breath and prepared for the worst. "Today, my mission was to go to Medusa's castle and clear out what remained of her work there. I had to gather anything that she left behind that could be harmful to anyone." Crona watched the your reaper intently as he spoke. "She left behind a lot of logs, books...like this one...that told of all the things she had done, experiments she had conducted. I gave them all to Lord Death per my mission...except for this one. Crona, I read it. I shouldn't have, and I regret that I invaded your privacy that much. But I found out, that this one chronicles from before you were born until almost the present day. It is about you, how you came to be, how you and Ragnarok became one and..."

"y...y...you read it?" Crona gasped, pulling his legs light against his chest now. His face was paling and his breathing was a little heightened.

"I apologize. I didn't know it would reveal anything that personal...I...I wanted to give it to you. To read when you are ready. It wouldn't be fair. I already told my father that I wasn't going to give it to him to do anything with."

"B...but that means...you know...w...what..i..." Crona stammered, beginning to shake. Kid stood, pained expression. He knew this would upset Crona but the longer he hid it, the worse it would get. He picked the book up and held it out for the thin teen to take. Crona reached out a shaking hand and took the book. Suddenly he got to his feet, muttered an apology and bolted from the kitchen. Kid began to go after him but stopped, deciding it would be better to let the teen calm down and take in the information first.

–

Esoteric Calender year 3425, Month of Moon, 1st day:

I am very near to giving birth to my creations...I can feel two souls inside my body. They are developing well from what I can see of their tiny little spirits. Those spirits must grow, though. I am growing impatient, but one month from now, I will induce my own labor and produce two perfect future servants. I have a plan for conditioning their minds.

Esoteric Calender year 3425, Month of Fire, 1st day:

Failure. Complete and utter failure. Whatever cruel trick of nature has placed upon this poor scientist. Even as I clean the afterbirth of my experiment's creation something is horribly wrong. After referencing the Tome of Witch's Birthrights I find that this sort of thing is not unheard of. The twins are one. Fused body of the male and female. Unknown to me I made the mistake of assuming the cells of the embryos would stay two separate bodies but it is easy for them to re-fuse at the early stage at which I begun influencing the embryos sexes. I have an infant that is both male and female at once and yet neither one, the two souls tightly fused. They are both visibly there, and though souls have no gender only female can be the resonance of witch's. They are one and yet separate though, meister and witch but not. I fear, the meister soul is the one able to use the body though the body is disgustingly incomplete. It is a filthy, ruined thing of an experiment, but in the name of science I will continue. This creature will become a strong pawn for me either way. I will call this 'it' child Crona. And tonight, Crona and Ragnarok become one.

Esoteric Calender year 3425, Month of Fire, 31st day:

The 'it' child Crona survived. After the surgery it's wounds bled only black. I made one attempt to stab it, and it's blood hardened right away. Survival instinct, at least Ragnarok's is strong. Crona's is week. It sits, staring up at me, as if asking for something called 'love'. But such an emotion would weaken it from the killer I need it to be. It needs to be incapable of emotion. I will not report again for the next five years. Only in that course of time will the results of this "Crona" experiment be visible. I plan to deny the child all but the most survivable to rights. Only food and shelter will be Crona's, no love. It will only know punishment and reward. I believe this will make it able to kill well without thought. Reward will be the smallest scrap of affection, though I loathe the very existence if that thing that I created. Punishment will be isolation, fear. It will learn to speak, but only what I teach it to. There will be no scrap of humanity left in the mad killing machine. It will live and die for me. This genderless thing I have to call my child.

~ As promised the book began again with an entry five years later, and then chronicled in merciless detail the extent of Crona's childhood. It spoke of how Crona tried to develop a personality. It remarked with cold humor on the resilience of the human spirit and yet how easily broken it was moments later. It briefly covered physical measurements of strength and as Crona aged then it slowly became a record-book of all the lives he was forced to take and his physical and mental condition after each.

–

It had been nearly an hour since Crona had fled the kitchen. Kid couldn't help himself watching the time. He had fixed himself a cup of Coco which sat untouched. He stood, eight minutes after two, and fixed another cup. He made his way slowly into the living room, careful not to be so silent that his approach couldn't be heard coming. He could see the back of Crona's head. The meister was bent double, curled into his comforting pose with his knees to his chest. His thin shoulders looked even more sunken then usual. Kid cleared his throat.

"Crona...May I come in?" He asked. His voice was gentle and calm. He could just see the back of the pink-haired meister's head move, a silent nod. Kid tapped a lamp beside the couch to turn it on and sat next to his housemate. He leaned forward, careful to move slowly, but he set the extra cup of coco in front of Crona on the coffee table and claspeb both hands around his own drink, elbows resting on his knees, a pensive expression on his features. He turned to peer at Crona's face and found it was streaked with tears.

"Are you angry with me...I understand if you are..." Crona shook his head in response, but gave Kid no words. "Are you...are you afraid?" A nod this time. "of what?" Slowly, very slowly, Crona lifted his head. His eyes were puffy and red from crying. He spoke, but his mouth was still covered by his soaked sleeve and his words were inaudible.

"I...I couldn't hear you..." Kid responded. His heart thudded in his chest.

"I'm scared you wont b...be my friend. And I...i'm...i'm scared of the w-w-way that she talked about me..." He sniffled, "And...and I'm afraid that that's what you will think of me like. Even though I...i know it's true. I'm...i'm...an..."

"You are scared I will think of you as an 'it' Crona?" Kid said softly, his hands clasped around his warm mug but his eyes were fixed on Crona's. Crona nodded.

"But I am...I am just...strange. I know I am...I shouldn't want so much. I shouldn't ask it of you...not after w..what you read...We...me and Ragnarok that is...We will always just be strange. F..freaks of nature and magic. A body to weird to be acceptable t..to anyone. We can't fit in even among weapons and m-meisters here."

Kid reached for Crona's back with on hand, to try and comfort him, somehow. Crona flinched.

"You don't have to...I understand...its okay! You don't have to be my friend...you can stay away, Its okay if your afraid...I don't think you know how to deal with me..." Crona responded almost too quickly, defensively. He put on a fake smile to try and re-assure the meister next to him. Crona's voice was raising in pitch with each word. "I..I..i can leave tonight...Just make sure Maka doesn't worry...I'll go back to the academy until I can-"

"Crona, Crona...stop..." Kid pushed a little further until his hand rested on Crona's shoulder. The pink-haired meister was in tears again and flinched under the touch. Kid's hands were cold, Crona remembered now...they were alike. He didn't think Kid would still believe that though...not after what he had read. Not now. But here he was, looking right into Crona's eyes, hand on Crona's shoulder. Crona broke. In a flash he was against Kid's chest, tears pouring from his eyes. Most of what he said Kid would probably never understand because it was full of hiccups and sniffles. What he could make out was garbled.

"...and I don't want her to hate me or be 'fraid to" hiccup "to...touch mbe...and I am disgusted wiff my body too and I thought that you would" another hiccup "tell mbe to leave...and ragdarok says it's in by head and to shut up but I know that its weird and freaks people out and dat I would lose all my friends and and...and..." The rest was indistinguishable, but Kid knew it was just months of pent-up fears tumbling out. He had dealt with breakdowns a lot more than people gave him credit for, and not just his own. Living with two girls as weapons. At least once a month he had to deal with one bitching/crying fit from each, like clockwork. In many ways, everything made sense now. Crona always seemed so unbalanced to him...but it was actually unaccepted balance that made up who Crona was. He was no more girl than boy, no more boy than girl. A balanced being thrown off by not knowing how to deal with it.

When the sobs had stopped, Crona apologized several times and dried his eyes. He sat up, curled up and picked up his coco. He thanked Kid twice before sipping it. He didn't meet Kid's gaze for several minutes though. Then, he apologized again. Kid Turned towards him.

"You...don't have to keep saying that you are sorry...you have done nothing wrong. To be honest, I was the one afraid of talking about this. I felt truly guilty for reading that before you could. I know the things she says are painful, and they must hurt deeply in your soul...but I want you to know that...I don't judge you for it Crona. There are many varieties of balance in this world..."

"Are you going to tell me I'm symmetrical..." Crona interrupted flatly in one of his rare sarcastic moments. Kid actually laughed, a deep sort of relieved laugh, palm against his forehead. He swept his hair to one side and then equally to the other and turned to look at his friend.

"No...well, yes but not so directly. What I mean is...Even though I have never really had a friend that was like you are...I am not afraid to have one. In fact I have all this time and never even knew it. I was scared too...scared that it might change my opinion of you. But it doesn't. Now that I am not worrying about it...I can see that you are just the same Crona to me." Much to Kid's surprise, Crona was smiling.

A noise from the stairwell made them both jump.

"Who's there!" Kid said aloud. He stood and turned. There on the stairwell was Liz, in her nightclothes, and a very sleepy looking Patti was next to her.

"Er...sorry Kid...I heard something...and I went and got Patti because I was scared...and then we heard crying down here so we..." She began. Crona was peering nervously over the back of the couch at the two. His brow was knitted with worry.

"H..how much did you hear?" He squeaked. Liz and Patti made their way into the living room.

"Enough to know what you two were talking about. Sorry...but I couldn't just go to bed after that. Crona..." She reached out and ruffled his hair. "Welcome to the house of Death. It's good to know the real you at long last." She said with a grin.

"Yep, I knew it already though...Crona is too much of a girl to be all boy...Patti knew all along. Yep. But Patti's still gonna call you he since that's what I'm used to." Patti added, rubbing her eyes. If the others didn't know any better they would have believed she was just talking in her sleep as zoned out as she looked.

Crona was still silently hiding his face behind the back of the couch. Liz waited, along with Kid with baited breath.

"Well...Crona?" Kid finally asked. "Is that okay...?"

Slowly Crona pulled himself up so his face could be seen. His cheeks were a deep shade of burgundy, but a small smile that he was unable to hide formed on his mouth. He glanced from side to side, not sure what to do with himself. Happiness was bubbling up from his stomach like butterflies.

"I...I um...I don't mind. I...i'm just really glad t..th..that you...d-d-d...don't want to call me...an 'it'..." He finally managed. The next moment he found himself surrounded. Liz had her arms around his shoulders, Kid's hand was on his back...Patti was wrapped around his shoulder with the other arm around Liz's waist. When the hug broke, Crona was blushing even harder and beginning to shake with nerves from all the physical attention.

Hugs...they felt great but they took some getting used to.

"Now...we all have class in the morning. I suggest we get some sleep. Crona...Goodnight..." Kid said knowingly. He felt a weight had been lifted from his heart since that afternoon. Still, he knew it wouldn't be the last trouble for his friend over this issue. The teen still had to tell Maka and Kid knew that would take the most courage of all...


End file.
